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Full text of "The history of Massachusetts : from the landing of the Pilgrims to the present time. Including a narrative of the persecutions by state and church in England; the early voyages to North America; the explorations of the early settlers; their hardships, sufferings and conflicts with the savages; the rise of the colonial power; the birth of independence; the formation of the commonwealth; and the gradual progress of the state from its earliest infancy to its present high position"

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THE 


HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 


FROM    THE 


INCLUDING 

\  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  PERSECUTIONS  BY  STATE  AND  CHURCH  IN  ENGLAND; 
THE   EARLY  VOYAGES  TO   NORTH   AMERICA;    THE    EXPLORATIONS   OF 
THE    EARLY    SETTLERS;     THEIR    HARDSHIPS,   SUFFERINGS,  AND 
CONFLICTS  WITH  THE  SAVAGES;  THE  RISE  OF  COLONIAL 
POWER;  THE  BIRTH  OF   INDEPENDENCE;   THE  FOR- 
MATION   OF    THE   COMMONWEALTH,  AND  THE 
GRADUAL  PROGRESS  OF  THE  STATE  FROM 
ITS     EARLIEST    INFANCY    TO    ITS 
PRESENT  HIGH  POSITION. 


BY 


GEORGE    LOWELL    AUSTIN. 


BOSTON: 

B.   D.   RUSSELL,  ESTES  8c  LAURIAT, 

55  CoRXHiLL.  301  Washington  St. 

1876. 


Copyright, 

GEORGE    L.   AUSTIN, 

i87S- 


ELECTROTYPED  AT  THE  BOSTON  STEREOTYPE  FOUNDRY, 
19  SPRING  LANE. 


PREFACE. 


When  the  traveller,  after  a  long  journey,  has  at  length 
arrived  at  his  destination,  he  lays  down  his  burden,  and 
for  a  while  reflects  upon  the  varying  scenes  through 
which  he  has  just  passed.  Likewise,  the  people  of  these 
United  States,  while  standing  at  the  dawn  of  a  new  cen- 
tury, are  mindful  of  the  privileges  and  privations  of  their 
forefathers,  and  are  reviewing  the  past,  with  gratitude  to 
that  divine  Providence  who  has  conducted  the  nation 
through  the  maze  of  doubt  and  of  danger  to  prosperity 
and  peace. 

In  the  following  pages  I  have  endeavored  to  trace  the 
sequence  of  events  wliich  constitute  the  history  of  Massa- 
chusetts from  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  to  the  present 
time.  Massachusetts  has  a  history  which  both  she  and  her 
sister  states  may  well  regard  with  feelings  of  pride ;  and  in 
this  hour,  when  the  Centennial  celebrations  of  great  events 
are  rekindling  the  fires  of  patriotism  and  the  ardor  of  filial 
devotion,  it  is  especially  fitting  that  her  sons  should  seek 
to  explore  lier  annals  of  the  past  in  the  light  of  the  pres- 
ent.     Within    her    borders   were    sown    the    seeds   which, 

V 


vi  PREFACE. 

blooming  and  ripening,  have  given  birth  to  a  great  nation. 
Here  came,  and  lived,  and  died  its  early  founders.  Here 
American  freedom  raised  its  first  voice,  and  here  "  it  still 
lives  in  the  strength  of  its  manhood,  and  full  of  its 
original  spirit."  In  the  words  of  her  greatest  orator  and 
statesman,  "  Massachusetts  needs  no  encomium.  There  she 
is,  —  behold  her,  and  judge  for  yourselves.  There  is  her 
history,  —  the  world  knows  it  by  heart." 

While  aiming  to  overlook  nothing  of  interest  and  of 
importance  in  the  history  of  the  state,  I  have  purposely 
refrained  from  imparting  to  the  narrative  the  complete- 
ness and  fullness  of  detail  which  would  justly  be  de- 
manded in  a  work  of  greater  pretension.  I  may  be  per- 
mitted to  say  that  I  have  written  this  volume  for  the 
people,  to  whom,  with  all  its  imperfections,  it  is  now 
submitted,  in  the  hope  that  it  will  be  found  not  wholly 
undeserving  of  their  attention.  If  the  special  student 
should  find  that  it  falls  short  of  what  other  writers  might 
accomplish,  the  foregoing  statement  must  serve  as  my  sole 
apology. 

In  a  work  of  this  character,  the  historian  can  lay  no 
claim  to  originality.  As  another  has  said,  "  it  is  not  his 
province  to  create  facts,  but  to  take  those  already  fur- 
nished "  in  the  best  sources  of  information.  The  researches 
of  earlier  historians  have  been  such  as  to  render  almost 
unnecessary  any  special  investigation  on  the  part  of  those 
who  follow  after  them  ;  and  the  facts,  such  as  they  exist, 
are   well  known   and   easily   accessible,   either   in  print   or 


PREFACE.  vii 

manuscript.  In  the  preparation  of  my  narrative,  I  have 
endeavored  to  make  good  use  of  the  material  afforded  me, 
and  have  relied,  for  the  most  part,  on  those  writers  who 
were  contemporary  with  the  events  which  they  describe. 
At  the  same  time,  I  have  had  constantly  before  me  the 
works  of  the  principal  later  historians,  and  have  derived 
no  small  advantage  from  the  published  Collections  and 
Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  and 
from  its  volumes  of  lectures  upon  the  early  history  of 
the  state.  While  treating  my  subject,  I  have  generally 
followed  the  arrangement  adopted  by  Barry,  whose  History 
is  by  far  the  most  comprehensive  and  important  that  has 
yet  appeared.  To  the  student  it  is  an  invaluable  mine 
of  facts ;  but  to  the  ordinary  reader,  whose  interest  in 
the  past  is  measured  by  his  leisure  moments,  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  the  work  is  much  too  copious  to  prove  of 
large  and  enduring  service. 

With  regard  to  the  following  pages,  this  much  may  be 
said  in  truth.  While  all  preceding  historians  have  ended 
their  labors  either  with  or  before  the  year  1820,  it  is 
believed  that  this  is  the  first  attempt  yet  made  to  trace 
the  sequence  of  events  following  this  date.  The  inter- 
vening period  is  full  of  interest  and  of  vital  importance, 
ahke  to  the  citizen  and  to  humanity.  It  has  witnessed 
the  birth  of  conflicting  opinions ;  the  rise  and  progress 
of  new  parties  in  the  arena  of  politics ;  the  sudden  out- 
burst of  passions  which  had  long  been  dormant  ;  the  vin- 
dication  of    right  and   the  abolition   of  wrong.     Last,   but 


viii  PREFACE.  ' 

not  least,  the  period  has  been  emphasized  by  a  struggle, 
which,  beginning  in  mistrust,  continuing  in  bloodshed,  and 
ending  in  the  uplifting  of  truth  and  the  downfall  of  error, 
has  rendered  discord  and  disunion  forever  impossible,  and 
has  sealed  the  hearts  of  the  nation  as  one. 

The  proudest  boast  of  all  is,  that  Massachusetts  and  South 
Carolina,  too  long  alienated  by  prejudices  and  false  pre- 
cepts, stand  to-day  as  they  stood  when  together  they  went 
through  the  Revolution,  —  shoulder  to  shoulder,  hand  in 
hand,  and  united  in  purpose  and  principle.  While  we 
cherish  in  memory  the  great  names  which  seal  the  glory 
and  honor  of  Massachusetts,  let  us  not  forget  how  much 
we  owe  to  those  heroes  of  the  south,  whose  renown  "  is 
of  the  treasures  of  the  whole  country." 

I  must  not  fail  to  acknowledge  my  sense  of  obligation 
to  the  library  of  Harvard  College,  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society,  and  to  the  Boston  Public  Library,  which 
have  been  opened  to  me  as  freely  as  if  they  were  my 
own  possessions.  To  those,  my  friends,  also,  who  have, 
either  by  the  loan  of  rare  material  or  by  the  generous 
offering  of  suggestions,  and  of  encouragement,  in  no 
small  degree  facilitated  my  endeavors,  I  here  express  my 
indebtedness  and  thanks.  To  the  people  of  Massachu- 
setts I  dedicate  whatever  there  is  of  worth  and  interest 
in  the  volume  which  is  now  set  before  them. 

Cambridge,  July,  1875. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    I. 

THE   PLYMOUTH  COLONY. 

Religious  Parties  in  England.  —  Character  of  James  I.  —  His  Policy.  — 
Tlie  Parliament  of  1604.  —  The  King's  Proclamation.  —  Flight  of  the 
Independents.  —  The  Pilgrims  in  Lcyden.  —  Agents  sent  to  England.  — 
The  English  in  North  America.  —  The  London  and  Plymouth  Colonies. 

—  The  Pilgrims  leave  England.  —  The  Compact.  —  Forefathers'  Eock. 

—  Hardships.  —  The  Spring  of  1C2L — Treaty  with  Massasoit.  —  A 
Local  Government  instituted.  —  Death  of  John  Carver.  —  Thanksgiv- 
ing. —  A  new  Patent.  — A  League  against  the  Colonies.  —  The  Ships 
of  Master  Weston.  —  Settlement  at  Wessagusset.  —  Illness  of  Massa- 
soit. —  Plot  against  Weston's  Colony.  —  Standish  sent  to  Wessagusset. 

—  Overthrow  of  Weston's  Colony.  —  Fate  of  Weston.  —  Eegulation  of 
the  Fisheries.  —  Distress  of  the  Colonists.  —  Arrival  of  new  Emigrants. 

—  Colony  of  Robert  Gorges.  —  Plot  of  Lyford  and  Oldham.  —  Their 
Expulsion.  — The  Dorchester  Company  founded.  —  The  Colony  at  Cape 
Ann.  —  Intercourse  with  the  Dutch.  —  De  Rasieres  in  Plymouth.  — 
Connection  with  the  Merchant  Adventurers  dissolved.  —  Mr.  AUerton 
goes  to  England.  —  Settlement  at  Mount  Wollaston.  —  Morton  of  Merry 
Mount.  —  A  new  Grant  obtained.  —  Progress  of  Settlement 1-26 

CHAPTER    II. 

THE  MASSACHUSETTS   COLONY. 

Accession  of  Charles  I. — The  Dorchester  Company  dissolved.  —  Patent 
of  the  Massachusetts  Colony.  —  The  Massachusetts  Company  formed. 

—  Emigration  under  Endicott.  —  Local  Government  established.  —  Em- 
igration under  Higginson.  —  Settlement  at  Charlestown.  —  Church  or- 
ganized at  Salem.  —  Episcopacy  expelled.  —  Cradock's  Proposal.  — 
John  Winthrop.  —  His  Associates.  —  Transfer  of  the  Charter.  —  Em- 
igration under  Winthrop.  —  Mortality  in  the  Colony.  —  Dispersion  of 
the  Settlers.  —  A  Fast  appointed.  —  Arrival  of  Supplies.  —  An  Kxcnr- 

h  ix 


CONTENTS. 

sion  to  Plymouth.  —  New  Accessions.  —  Churches  organized.  — Admin- 
istration of  Governor  Winthrop.  —  Dudley  chosea  Governor.  —  Arrival 
of  new  Emigrants.  —  Henry  Vane.  —  Chosen  Governor.  —  Opposition. 

—  Anne  Hutchinson.  —  Her  Popularity.  —  Charges  against  her,  —  A 
Synod  convened.  —  Fate  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson.  —  Samuel  Gorton.  — 
His  Banishment  to  Rhode  Island.  — His  Arrest.  — Winthrop  re-elected. 

—  Progress  of  Settlement.  —  Connecticut  settled.  —  Hostility  of  the 
Pequots.  —  Expedition  to  Block  Island.  —  Roger  Williams.  —  His  Ban- 
ishment. —  His  Removal  to  Providence.  —  His  Character.  —  His  Inter- 
course with  the  Indians.  —  War  declared.  —  Mason's  Expedition.  — 
Close  of  the  War 27-63 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  CONFEDERACY  OF  THE  COLONIES. 

Puritan  Legislation.  —  Limitation  of  the  Elective  Franchise.  —  Oath  of 
Allegiance.  —  House  of  Representatives  established.  —  The  "  Body  of 
Liberties."  —  Abstract  of  the  Code.  —  Morality  of  the  People.  —  Diffi- 
culties with  England.  —  The  Defenders  of  the  Colonies.  —  Tyranny  of 
Charles  I.  —  Appointment  of  a  Special  Commission.  —  Measures  of  De- 
fence. —  Mr.  Winslow  sent  to  England.  —  His  Imprisonment.  —  Disso- 
lution of  the  New  England  Council.  —  A  Quo  Warranto  issued.  —  In- 
ternal Enemies.  —  Petition  to  the  King.  —  The  Spirit  of  Independence. 

—  Confederacy  proposed.  —  New  Hampshire  joined  to  Massachusetts. 

—  Difficulties  with  the  French.  —  The  Conduct  of  La  Tour.  —  Affray 
witli  Hocking  and  D'Auluey.  —  Condition  of  the  Colonists.  —  Progress 
of  Agriculture.  —  Commerce  and  Manufactures. — Education  fostered. 

—  Harvard  College  founded.  —  Its  Early  History.  —  Grammar  Schools. 

—  A  Printing  Press  erected.  —  Population  of  New  England.  —  The 
Confederacy  of  the  Colonies.  —  The  Preamble.  —  Articles  of  Confed- 
eration. —  Voice  of  Hooker 54-76 

CHAPTER    IV. 

MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES   II. 

Death  of  Charles  I.  —  Meeting  of  the  Long  Parliament.  —  Political  Dis- 
cussions. —  Cromwell  and  the  Colonies.  —  Hostility  of  the  Dutch.  — 
The  Quakers.  —  The  Era  of  Persecution.  —  Accession  of  Charles  II.— 
Addresses  sent  to  England.  —  The  King's  Response.  —  A  Declaration 
of  Rights.  —  Agents  visit  England.  —  An  alarming  Rumor.  —  Arrival 
of  Royal  Commissioners.  —  A  Petition  to  the  King.  ~  The  Chagrin  of 
the  Commissioners.  —Departure  of  the  Same.  —  The  Defiance  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. —  A  Season  of  Quiet. 77-95 


CONTENTS.  .  xi 

CHAPTER    V. 

KING  PHILIP'S  WAR. 

The  wild  Tribes  of  New  England.  —  Missionary  Enterprise.  —  John  Eliot. 

—  The  Praying  Indians.  —  Philip  of  Mount  Hope.  —  The  War  begins. 

—  Causes.  — Attack  on  Swanzey.  —  Movements  of  the  English.  —  En- 
counter at  Brookfield.  —  Hadley  surprised.  —  Attack  on  Deerfield.  — 
Fresh  Troops  raised.  —  Attack  on  Fort  Narragansett.  —  The  Lancaster 
Massacre.  —  Story  of  Mrs.  Rowlandson.  —  The  Defeat  of  Captain  Pierce. 

—  Distress  of  the  Indians. —The  Contest  at  Turner's  Falls. -Flight 
of  Philip.  —  The  Courage  of  Captain  Church.  —  Death  of  Philip.  — 
End  of  the  War 9G-116 

CHAPTER    VI. 

THE   DOWNFALL  OF  THE   CHARTER. 

Prosperity  of  Massachusetts.  —  Edmund  Randolph. — Complaints  of  Gorges 
and  Mason.  —  Threats  of  the  King.  —  Agents  sent  to  EngUmd.  —  A  War 
against  the  Charter.  — A  Quo  Warranto  issued.  —  Accession  of  James  II. 

—  Joseph  Dudley.  —  Arrival  of  Andros.  —  His  arbitrary  Government. 

—  Accession  of  William  of  Orange.  —  The  Tidings  reach  Boston.  — 
Andros  imprisoned.  —  The  Province  Charter 117-138- 

CHAPTER    VII. 

THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY. 

Revision  of  the  Colonial  Laws.  —  Sir  William  Phips.  —  His  Policy.  —A 
Party  Collision.  —  Administration  of  Stoughton.  —  Administration  of 
Bellamont.  —  Administration  of  Dudley.  —  Tlie  Unpopularity  of  Dud- 
ley.—The  French  in  North  America. —The  Expedition  against  Port 
Royal.  -War  declared.  —  The  English  at  Quebec.  —  The  Valor  of  Fron- 
tenac.  —  Attack  on  Port  Royal.  —  Failure  of  the  Expedition.  —  The  Col- 
onists in  Despair.  —Ravages  of  the  Indians.  —  Attack  on  Haverhill.— 
Story  of  Hannah  Dustin.  — The  Peace  of  Ryswick.  —  Renewal  of  Hos- 
tilities. —The  Conference  at  Casco.  —  Attack  on  Deerfield.  —  The  Wil- 
liams Tragedy.  —  Second  Attack  on  Haverhill.  —  A  new  Expedition 
against  the  French.  —  Surrender  of  Port  Royal.  —  A  Fleet  arrives  at 
Boston.  —  The  Disaster  at  Quebec.  —  The  Reduction  of  Canada  aban- 

,        ,  129-153 

doned 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE  WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION. 

Privations  of  the  Early  Settlers.  —  Evidences  of  Be-witchment.  —  The 
Controversy  at  Salem.  —  Parris  and  his  Family.  —  Persecution  re- 
newed. —  Cotton  Mather.  —  A  Court  convened.  —  Progress  of  the  Tri- 
als. —  The  Story  of  Mrs.  Carey.  —  Oyer  and  Terminer  Court  estab- 
lished.—Susanna  Martin.— Rebecca  Nurse.  —  Gallows  Hill.  — George 
Burroughs.  —  Other  Victims.  —  Margaret  Jacobs  and  Giles  Corey.  — 
Sorrow  in  Salem.  —  Mather's  "Invisible  Wonders."  —  The  End  of 
Persecution. — The  People  of  Andover.  —  Parris  driven  from  Salem. 

—  The  Lesson  of  the  Tragedy 154-174 

CHAPTER    IX. 

THE   SPIRIT   OF  THE  PEOPLE.  y/ 

Money  Affairs.  —  Governor  Shute.  —  The  Commerce  of  Massachusetts. —    ^S-^ji^ 
The  King's  Policy.  —  Autocracy  of  England.  —  A  Controversy  with  the     /  Jl'^iy'' 
Governor.  —  The  Small-pox  in  Boston.  —  Hostility  of  the  French. —  '      /      \> 
Conflict  at  Norridgewock.  —  Death  of  Sebastian  Rasles'.  —  Lovewell's 
Expedition.  —  Peace  declared.  —  William  Dummer.  —  Governor  Bur- 
net. —  Opposed  by  the  Legislature.  —  Dummer's  Advice.  —  Governor 
Belcher.  —  War  between  England  and  Spain.  —  A  fruitless  Campaign. 

—  Character  of  Belcher.  —  Administration  of  Governor  Shirley.  —  The 
Great  Awakening.  —  George  Whitefield.  —  Renewed  Controversies.  — 
War  with  France.  —  The  English  at  Canseau.  —  Shirley's  Ignorance.  — 
The  Siege  of  Louisburg.  —  Capture  of  the  "Vigilant."  —  Progress  of 
the  Siege.  —  The  Surrender  of  Louisburg.  —  The  Joy  of  America.  — 
The  Conquest  of  Canada  proposed.  —  Disaster  to  the  French  Fleet.  — 
Capture  of  Fort  Massachusetts  by  the  French.  —  The  Peace  of  Aix-la- 
Chapelle.  -•-  Impressment  of  American  Seamen.  —  The  Result.  —  The 
Census  of  1748.  —  Commercial  Wealth  of  the  Province 175-200 

CHAPTER    X. 

THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR. 

The  Claims  of  France.  —  The  Projects  of  the  English.  —  Halifax  settled. 

—  The  Ambition  of  Governor  Shirley.  —  Commencement  of  Hostilities. 

—  George  Washington.  —  The  Surrender  of  Fort  Necessity.  —  The 
Congress  of  1754.  —  Plans  of  Union.  —  Character  of  the  Confederacy. 

—  Adjournment  of  the  Congress.  —  Failure  of  the  Plan.  —  Franklin 
visits  Boston.  —  Correspondence  between  Shirley  and  Franklin.  —  En- 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

croachmcnts  of  the  French.  —  Forts  erected  by  the  Americans.  —  The 
Conference  at  Alexandria.  —  Braddock's  Projects  for  conducting  the 
War.  —  Expedition  of  Braddock.  —  Expedition  of  Shirley.  —  Expedi- 
tion to  Crown  Point.  —  Dicskau  sent  to  America.  —  Battle  of  Lake 
George.  —  Defeat  of  Dieskan.  —  Expedition  to  Nova  Scotia.  —  Move- 
ments of  Winslow.  —  Character  of  the  Acadians.  —  Ilomoval  of  the 
Acadians.  —  Position  of  the  Forces.  —  Conference  at  New  York.  — 
Plans  of  Shirley.  —  Proceedings  of  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts. — 
Proceedings  of  Parliament.  —  Recall  of  Shirley.  —  The  Earl  of  Lou- 
doun appointed  Commander-in-Chief.  —  Affairs  in  the  Army.  —  Affairs 
at  Oswego.  —  Fall  of  Oswego.  —  Pitt  appointed  Prime  Minister  of  Eng- 
land. —  Pownall  appointed  Governor  of  Massachusetts.  —  Attack  on 
Fort  "William  Henry.  —  Its  Capture.  —  The  Americans  despondent.  — 
Loudoun  recalled.  —  Capture  of  Louisburg.  —  Reduction  of  Fort  Du 
Quesne.  —  Failure  of  the  Crown  Point  Expedition.  —  The  new  Cam- 
paign.—  Siege  of  Fort  Niagara.  — Crown  Point  forsaken  by  the  French. 

—  Siege  of  Quebec.  —  "Wolfe  and  Montcalm.  —  Surrender  of  Quebec. 

—  Conclusion  of  the  War 201-225 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  STAMP  ACT. 

The  Prophecy  of  Charles  Davenant.  —  The  Wisdom  of  Richard  Hooker. 

—  Contests  with  the  Crown.  —  Shirley  supports  tlie  Prerogative.  — Bill 
for  Strengthening  the  Same.  —  A  Stamp  Tax  proposed.  —  Massachu- 
setts imposes  a  Stamp  Tax.  —  Bernard  appointed  Governor.  —  The 
Work  of  Abuse.  —  Otis  and  his  Associates.  —  Character  of  Hutchinson. 

—  His  "History"  and  "Letters."  —  Accession  of  George  IIL  —  Trial 
of  the  Revenue  Officers.  —  Gridley's  Argument.  —  Thacher's  Reply.  — 
Speech  of  Otis.  —  The  Opinion  of  John  Adams.  —  Pitt  resigns  his  Of- 
fice. —  The  Earl  of  Egrcmont  his  Successor.  —  Otis's  Speech  at  the 
Close  of  the  French  War.  —  Townshend's  Scheme.  —  Grenville's 
Scheme.  —  Change  in  the  Ministry.  —  Advice  of  the  Lords  of  Trade. 

—  The  Stamp  Act  proposed.  —  Action  of  the  General  Court.  —  Samuel 
Adams.  —  Address  to  the  House  of  Commons.  —  Action  of  Parliament. 
— The  Stamp  Act  passed.  — The  News  reaches  America.  —  Action  of  the 
General  Court.  —  Tlie  Mutiny  Act.  —  Change  in  the  Ministry.  —  Oliver  . 
hung  in  Effigy.  —  Proclamation  of  the  Governor.  —  Hutchinson's  House 
attacked.  —  Another  Change  in  the  Ministry.  —  Message  of  the  Gover- 
nor. —  "Views  of  John  Adams.  —  Congress  at  New  York.  —  Course  of 
the  British  Ministry. — The  First  of  November.  —  Oliver  resigns  his 
Office.  —  The  Repeal  of  tlie  Stamp  Act  proposed.  —  Speech  of  Pitt.  — 
Speech  of  Grenville. —  Reply  of  Pitt. —Examination  of  Franklin.— 
Debate  on  the  Repeal.  —  The  Stamp  Act  repealed 226-256 


xiv  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    XII. 

MILITARY  DESPOTISM   IN   THE   PROVINCE. 

Celebration  of  the  Repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  —  Changes  in  the  British 
Ministry.  —  Pitt  created  Earl  of  Chatham.  —  Affairs  in  England.  — 
Course  of  Townshend.  —  Course  of  Shelburne.  —  Course  of  the  French 
Minister.  —  The  Revenue  Bill. — Public  Spirit  in  America.  —  Course  of 
the  Boston  Merchants.  —  Proceedings  of  the  General  Court.  —  Course 
of  Hutchinson. — Impressment  of  Seamen.  —  Seizure  of  the  "Liber- 
ty."—  A  Town-meeting  called.  —  Address  to  the  Governor.  —  Arrival 
of  Troops  in  Boston.  —  The  King's  Speech.  —  Debates  in  Parliament. 

—  A  new  Legislature  convened.  —  Controversy  ■with  the  Governor.  — 
Close  of  Bernard's  Administration.  —  Hutchinson  appointed  Governor. 

—  Speech  of  Pitt.  —  Speech  of  Camden.  —  Reply  of  Lord  North.  — 
Affairs  in  Boston.  —  Murder  of  Snider. — The  Boston  Massacre. — 
Meeting  of  the  Citizens.  —  Trial  of  the  Soldiers.  —  The  Responsible 
Parties 257-277 

CHAPTER    XIII.  ^ 

THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 

The  American  Question  in  Parliament.  —  The  Controversy  with  Hutch- 
inson. —  Burke's  Resolves.  — The  General  Court  prorogued.  —  A  Sea- 
son of  Quiet.  —  Samuel  Adams.  —  The  Foundation  for  American 
Union.  —  Revenue  Projects.  — The  Third  of  November.  —  A  Conven- 
tion in  Faneuil  Hall.  —  A  Meeting  in  the  Old  South.  —  The  Boston  Tea- 
party.  —  The  Debates  in  Parliament.  —  Arrival  of  General  Gage.  — 
Departure  of  the  Governor.  —  A  Plan  for  Union.  —  The  Continental 
Congress.  —  A  Provincial  Congress  organized. — The  Last  Appeal  of 
Chatham 278-298 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

t 

LEXINGTON  AND   CONCORD. 

Proceedings  of  the  Committees  of  Safety. — The  Movements  of  Gage.  — 
Paul  Revere. — Hancock  and  Adams.  —  March  of  the  British.  —  The 
Yeomanry  of  Lexington.  —  The  Massacre  on  Lexington  Common.  — 
The  Alarm  in  Concord.  —  Assembling  of  the  Militia.  —  Arrival  of  the 
British.  —  Captain  Timothy  Wheeler.  —Fight  at  the  Old  North  Bridge. 

—  Retreat  of  the  Enemy.  —  Skirmishing.  —  The  British  re-enforced. 

—  The  Halt  at  Bunker  Hill.  —  The  Roll  of  Honor 299-310 


CONTENTS.  XV. 

CHAPTER    XV. 

BTINKER  HILL,  AND  THE  SIEGE   OF  BOSTON. 

Meeting  of  the  Provincial  Congress.  — Preparing  for  War.  —  Washington 
chosen  Commander-in-Chief.  —  Movements  of  the  British.  —  Brescott 
ordered  to  Bunlccr  Hill.  —  The  March.  —  Fortifications  raised.  —  The 
Morning  of  the  17tli  of  June.  —  Gage  holds  a  Council'  of  War.  — 
The  British  Advance.  —  Position  of  the  Americans. — The  First  At- 
tack. —  The  Second  Attack.  —  The  Burning  of  Charlestown.  —  The 
Third  Attack.  —  Retreat  of  the  Americans. — Death  of  Warren. — 
Gage's  Proclamation.  —  Washington  in  Cambridge.  —  New  Fortifica- 
tions raised.  —  The  News  reaches  England.  —  Distress  of  the  British 
Army.  —  Dorchester  Heights  fortified.  —  Howe's  Chagrin.  —  The  Sev- 
enth of  March.  —  Evacuation  of  Boston.  —  Condition  of  the  Metrop- 
olis  311-331 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE   WAR  FOR   INDEPENDENCE. 

Boston  Harbor  fortified.  —  Action  of  the  General  Court.  —  Fresh  Troops 
required.  —  The  Resolutions  of  the  Seventh  of  June.  —  The  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  —  Speech  of  John  Adams.  —  The  Debate  in  Con- 
gress.—  The  Final  "Vote. — Adoption  of  the  Declaration.  —  How  re- 
ceived by  the  People.  —  Affairs  in  the  Autumn.  —  Paper  Money  issued. 

—  The  Naval  Armament  of  Massachusetts.  —  Success  of  the  British 
Army.  —  Surrender  of  General  Burgoyne.  —  A  Tax  levied.  —  Affairs  in 
Rhode  Island.  —  A  Desire  for  Peace.  —  The  New  Year.  —  The  Penob- 
scot Expedition.  —  Complaints  of  the  People.  —  Overtures  for  Peace. 

—  Negotiation.  —  Close  of  the  War 332-346 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

ADOPTION   OF   THE    STATE   CONSTITUTION. 

Proceedings  of  the  General  Court.  —  A  Convention  at  Cambridge.  —  The 
Interests  of  Science.  —  The  Dark  Day.  —  The  National  Bank.  —  The 
Massachusetts  Mint.  —  Establishment  of  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court. 

—  Slavery  in  Massachusetts. —  Election  of  Governor  Bowdoin. — The 
Portland  Convention.  —  Harvard  College  favored.  —  A  Dispute  settled. 

—  Society  at  the  Close  of  the  Revolution.  —  Habits  of  the  People.  — 
The  Country  Folk.  —The  first  Play-house  erected.  —  Manner  of  Dress. 

—  The  Census  of  1784 347-363 


xvi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

SHAYS'   REBELLION. 

Massachusetts  at  the  Close  of  the  War.  —  Great  Excitement.  —  The  Hat- 
field Convention.  —  The  Courts  Interrupted.  —  The  Spirit  of  Insurrec- 
tion. —  Tlie  Militia  ordered  out.  —  Daniel  Shays.  — Proceedings  of  the 
General  Court.  — Warrants  issued.  —  Fresh  Troops  raised.  —  The  Con- 
test at  Sj)ringfield.  —  Pursuit  of  the  Insurgents.  —  Indemnity  prom- 
ised. —  General  Lincoln's  Letter.  —  Close  of  the  Rebellion.  —  Re-elec- 
tion of  Governor  Hancock 364-375 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

ADOPTION   OF   THE   FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION. 

The  Philadelpliia  Convention.  —  A  Constitution  discussed.  —  Presented 
to  Congress.  —  The  Massachusetts  Convention.  —  A  long  Discussion.  — 
Debate  on  the  Slavery  Question.  —  Speech  of  General  Heath.  —  The 
Constitution  ratified.  —  Amendments  drawn  up.  —  Inauguration  of 
President  Washington.  —  His  Visit  to  New  England.  —  The  Federal- 
ists and  the  Anti-federalists.  —  Proceedings  of  tlie  General  Congress. — 
Confidence  regained.  —  Internal  Improvements.  —  Governor  Adams.  — 
France  and  the  United  States.  —  Citizen  Genet.  —  John  Jay.  —  Treaty 
with  Great  Britain.  —  Opposition  to  the  Same.  —  Washington's  Reply. 

—  The  Treaty  ratified.  —  Election  of  Governor  Sumner.  —  President 
Adams.  —  Commissioners  sent  to  France.  — The  Negotiation.  — A  War 
commenced.  —  Death  of  Governor  Sumner.  —  Election  of  Caleb  Strong. 

—  President  Jefferson.  —  James  Sullivan.  —  Party  Feelings.  —  An  Em- 
bargo laid.  —  President  Madison.  —  Levi  Lincoln.  —  Christopher  Gore. 

—  Election  of  Governor  Gerry .376-396 

CHAPTER    XX. 

THE  WAR   OF  1812. 

The  Policy  of  the  General  Government.  —  Message  of  Governor  Gerry. 

—  Re-election  of  Caleb  Strong.  —  "Gerrymandering." — Causes  of  Con- 
troversy. —  Madison's  Message.  —  War  declared  against  Great  Britain. 

—  Opposition  of  Massachusetts.  —  Address  of  the  Senate.  —  Address 
of  the  House.  —  Correspondence  between  Governor  Strong  and  Gen- 
eral Dearborn.  —  Madison's  System  of  Impressment.  —  Progress  of  the 
War.  —  The  Hartford  Convention.  —  Peace  declared.  —  Industry  in 
Massachusetts.  —  Election  of  Governor  Brooks.  —  Maine  becomes  a 
State.  ^  The  Revision  of  the  State  Constitution 397-410 


CONTENTS.  xvii 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE  ERA  OF  POLITICS. 

o'  Missouri  Question.  — The  "Missouri  Compromise."  —  Census  of  1820. 

—  Pauperism  discussed.  —  Daniel  Webster.  — Election  of  Governor  Eus- 
tis.  —  Election  of  President  Adams.  —  Levi  Lincoln  Governor.  —  His 
prosperous  Administration.  —  A  Lunatic  Hospital  established.  —  The 
Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  Bunker  Hill  Battle.  —  Death  of  John  Adams.  — 
Webster  elected  to  Congress. — The  "  Republican  "  Party.  —  Speech 
of  Webster.  —  Election  of  President  Jackson.  —  The  "National  Republi- 
can "  Party.  — Election  of  Governor  Davis.  —  A  dastardly  Outrage.  — 
An  Indignation  Meeting. — The  Democratic  Party.  —  Anti-Masonry. — 
Van  Buren  President.  —  Governor  Everett 411-425 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

THE   GROWTH   OF  PUBLIC  OPINION. 

Governor  Everett's  Administration.  —  Normal  Schools.  —  The  Western 
Railroad.  —  Rise  of  the  Slavery  Question.  —  The  "  Specie  Circular."  — 
Harvard  College.  —  Administration  of  Governor  Morton.  —  The  Latimer 
Slave  Case.  —  The  North-Eastern  Boundary  Dispute.  —  Political  Con- 
ventions. —  Webster's  Apology.  — Election  of  Governor  Briggs.  —  The 
Berkshire  Jubilee.  —  The  "Liberal  Party."  —  Affairs  in  the  General 
Court.  —  The  Mexican  War.  —  Charles  Sumner.  —  Education  fostered. 

—  Address  of  Governor  Briggs.  —  Death  of  John  Quincy  Adams.  —  The 
Water  Supply  of  Boston.  —  The  Webster-Parkman  Murder.  —  Close  of 

the  Administration 426-455 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

THE    SLAVERY  AGITATION. 

Election  of  President  Taylor.  —  The  "Free  Soil"  Party. — The  Coalition 
of  1850.  —  Administration  of  Governor  Boutwell.  —  The  "Fugitive 
Slave  Bill."  —  Speech  of  Charles  Sumner. — Election  of  Sumner  to 
the  United  States  Senate.  —  The  Sims  Case.  —  Visit  of  Kossuth.  — 
Death  of  Daniel  Webster.  —  Politics.  —  Election  of  Governor  Clifford. 

—  Everett  chosen  United  States  Senator.  —  The  Labor  Question.  — 
Revision  of  the  State  Constitution.  —  Election  of  Governor  Washburn. 

—  The  Burns  Case.  —  The  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.  —  Party  Politics.  — 
Election  of  Governor  Gardner.  —  Henry  Wilson  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate.  —  Know-Notliingism.  —  Assault  on  Senator  Sumner.  — 


xviii  CONTENTS. 

Election  of  President  Buchanan.  —  Governor  Banks. — Prosperity  of 
the  State.  —  The  "Personal  Liberty"  Act.  —  Election  of  Governor 
Andrew.  —  His  Inaugural  Address.  —  War  inevitable 456-487 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

MASSACHUSETTS   IN   THE   CIVIL  WAR. 

Inauguration  of  President  Lincoln.  —  Fall  of  Fort  Sumter.  —  Call  for 
Volunteers.  —  The  Response  of  Massachusetts.  —  The  Three  Months' 
Regiments.  —  Their  Record.  —  Anotlier  call  for  Volunteers.  — An  extra 
Session  of  the  Legislature.  —  Deimrture  of  the  Three  Years'  Regiments. 

—  The  Battle  of  Ball's  Bluff.  —  Proceedings  of  the  Maryland  Legisla- 
ture. —  Re-election  of  Governor  Andrew.  —  The  Spring  of  18G2.  — 
Position  of  the  Massachusetts  Troops.  —  The  third  Call  for  Troops.  — 
New  Regiments  recruited. — The  Battle  of  Antietam.  — The  Emancipa- 
tion Proclamation  issued.  —  The  colored  Troops. — The  Nine  Months' 
Regiments.  —  Riot  in  Boston.  —  Party  Conventions.  —  Re-election  of 
Governor  Andrew.  —  More  Troops  wanted.  —  Speech  of  Governor 
Andrew.  —  Progress  of  the  War.  —  Re-election  of  President  Lincoln. 

—  Re-election  of  Governor  Andrew.  —  Death  of  Edward  Everett.  — 
Surrender  of  General  Lee.  —  Death  of  President  Lincoln.  —  Close  of 
the  War. — Inauguration  of  Governor  Bullock 488-527 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

SINCE   THE   WAR. 

The  Legislature  of  18G6.  —  The  Militia  Act.  —  The  Hoosac  Tunnel.  — 
Debate  on  the  Liquor  Question.  —  Grant  to  the  Troy  and  Greenfield 
Railroad.  —  Debt  of  the  State.  — Revival  of  the  Liquor  Question.  —  The 
Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad.  —  The  Hoosac  Tunnel.  —  Election  of 
Governor  Claflin.  —  Proceedings  of  the  Legislature. — The  "Peace 
Jubilee."  —  Party  Conventions.  —  Continued  Discussion  of  the  Liquor 
Question,  —  The  Prohibitory  Law  amended. — The  Hartford  and  Erie 
Railroad. — The  Legislature  of  1871. — The  Autumn  Campaign.  —  Elec- 
tion of  Governor  Washburn.  —  The  Legislature  of  1872.  —  Political 
Com^entions.  —  Election  of  President  Grant. — The  "World's  Peace 
Jubilee."  —  The  Boston  Conflagration.  —  Proceedings  of  the  Legisla- 
ture.—  Election  of  Ex-Governor  Boutwell  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

—  The  Liquor  Question.  —  Legislature  of  1873.  —  Boston  enlarged.  — 
Politics.  —  Death  of  Senator  Sumner. — Election  of  Senator  Washburn. 

—  The  Mill  River  Disaster. — Politics.  —  Legislature  of  1875. — Election 
of  Senator  Dawes. — Lexington  and  Concord  Centennial.  — Bunker  Hill 
Centennial.  —  Cambridge  Centennial.  —  Politics.  —  Election  of  Governor 
Rice.  —  Death  of  Vice  President  Wilson.  —  Conclusion 528-566 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Evacuation  of  Boston Frontispiece. 

Samuel  Adams 280 

John  Adams 385 

Daniel  Webster 413 

Edward  Everett 426 

Charles  Sumner 462 

John  A.  Andrew 489 

Henry  Wilson 550 

xix 


A    POPULAR 

HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY. 

At  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  four  religious 
parties  existed  in  England.  The  CathoHcs,  or  adherents  of 
the  church  of  Rome,  were  still  powerful  in  certain  localities. 
The  Protestant  element  was  divided  into  three  sects  —  the 
Anglicans,  or  members  of  the  English  church  ;  the  Puritans, 
or  non-conformists,  who  differed  from  the  former  only  in 
a  disregard  of  special  rites  and  observances;  and  the  Inde- 
pendents, or  Separatists,  who  refused  to  sanction  the  found- 
ing of  a  national  church,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  purely 
contrary  to  the  Word  of  God.  In  the  minds  of  all  classes 
a  sort  of  mutual  hatred  had  arisen,  and  heated  controversies 
soon  resulted  in  the  most  bitter  persecutions.  Had  not 
these  evils  become  unbearable  to  the  weaker  sects,  hun- 
dreds would  not  so  wiUingly  have  forsaken  the  land  of  then- 
nativity  and  taken  refuge  across  the  sea. 

After  the  death  of  Elizabeth,  in  1G03,  James  I.  ascended 
the    throne.      His    want    of    personal    dignity,    his    coarse 
1  1 


2  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

buffoonery,  his  drunkenness,  his  contemptible  cowardice, 
were  only  partially  offset  by  his  natural  ability,  his  ripe 
scholarship,  his  fund  of  shrewdness,  his  mother-wit,  and 
his  ready  repartee.  Always  a  pedant,  he  had  also  a  pedant's 
temper,  and  a  pedant's  inability  to  reconcile  theories  with 
actual  facts.  He  believed,  for  instance,  in  the  divine  right 
of  kings,  and  that  a  monarch  was  free  from  all  control  by 
law,  or  from  responsibility  to  anything  but  his  own  royal 
will.  This  notion,  founded  on  a  blunder,  was  quite  new 
to  his  people  ;  but,  nevertheless,  it  became  the  basis  of  a 
system  of  government,  a  doctrine  which  bishops  preached 
from  the  pulpits,  and  which  the  Established  Church  was  not 
slow  to  adopt. 

Before  his  accession  to  the  throne,  King  James  had  always 
professed  a  sincere  regard  for  the  teachings  of  Knox,  and 
his  open  declarations  naturally  aroused  the  hopes  of  the 
Puritan  sect.  Ere  long,  however,  he  showed  himself  a 
dissembler.  Behind  his  intellectual  convictions  lay  a  host 
of  prejudices,  and  it  was  plain  to  discern  that  his  favorite 
religion  was  that  which  most  favored  his  ideas  of  "  absolute 
monarchy."  The  Puritans  dared  to  dispute  his  boasted 
infallibility,  and  to  denounce  ceremonies,  which,  it  was 
alleged,  "had  authority  in  the  writings  of  the  Fathers." 
For  this  reason  the  king  turned  himself  against  them, 
swearing  either  to  "  make  them  conform "  or  to  "  harry 
them  out  of  the  kingdom."  "No  bishop,  no  king,"  was 
his  motto;  and  he  declared  he  would  have  only  "one  doc- 
trine and  one  discipline,  one  religion  in  substance  and  in 
ceremony."  ^ 

While  men  were   dwelling   ominously  on   the   claims   of 
absolutism  in  church   and  state,  which  were   constantly  on 

'  Sanderson,  James  I.,  303. 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  3 

the  royal  lips,  the  Parliament  of  1604  was  convened.  Three 
fourths  of  the  House  of  Commons  were  in  sympathy  with 
the  Puritans,  and  the  energy  wliich  characterized  their  action 
showed  plainly  that  the  insolence  of  the  sovereign  had  pro- 
voked the  temper  of  the  nation  at  large.  In  his  opening 
address,  the  king  acknowledged  the  Roman  to  be  his  mother 
church,  though  defiled  by  "  new  and  gross  corruptions,"  and 
branded  the  Puritans  as  "  a  sect  insufferable  in  a  well-s:ov- 
erned  commonwealth."  In  July,  a  proclamation  was  issued 
compelling  "  all  curates  and  lecturers  to  conform  strictly  to 
the  rubrics  of  the  prayer-book  on  pain  of  deprivation." 
In  consequence  of  this  edict,  -many  subjects  of  the  realm, 
fleeing  "  a  tyrant's  and  a  bigot's  bloody  laws,"  quitted  for- 
ever the  land  of  their  birth. 

The  Independents  suffered  equally  with  the  Puritans. 
The  churches  which  they  had  established  at  Scrooby  and 
Gainsborough  were  broken  up.  The  first  attempt  of  the 
members  at  flight  was  defeated ;  and  when  they  made 
another,  their  wives  and  children  were  seized  at  the  very 
moment  of  departure.  At  length,  however,  the  magis- 
trates were  "  glad  to  be  rid  of  them  at  any  price,"  and  the 
fugitives  arrived  safely  at  Amsterdam,  whence,  shortly  after- 
wards, they  removed  to  Leyden,  "  a  fair  and  beautiful  city, 
and  of  a  sweet  situation."  Of -this  small  company  —  who 
"  knew  they  were  Pilgrims,  and  looked  not  much  on  those 
things,  but  lifted  up  their  eyes  to  heaven,  their  dearest 
country,  and  quieted  their  spirits,"  —  the  proudest  pedigree 
is  Massachusetts  and  America.^ 

For  several  years  the  exiles  remained  in  Leyden  in  undis- 
turbed quiet.  Still,  they  felt  that  they  were  strangers  in  a 
strange  land.      The    "  hardness   of    the   place "    made   toil 

'  Bradford,  in  Cliron.  rilgrim.,  87,     Baylies,  Plyiu.  Col.,  i.  11. 


4  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

severe  ;  the  infirmities  of  old  age  crept  on  too  soon  ;  the 
young  people  were  growing  up  amid  corrupting  influences, 
and  without  the  means  of  obtaining  an  education ;  and, 
finally,  the  outlook  betokened  gloomy  aspects  for  the  future. 
These  were  potent,  but  not  the  chief,  causes  which  promj)ted 
a  speedy  removal.  The  Pilgrims  cherished  a  "great  hope 
and  inward  zeal  of  laying  some  good  foundation  for  the 
propagating  and  advancing  of  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  in  remote  parts  of  the  world ;  yea,  though  they 
should  be  but  as  stepping-stones  to  others  for  performing  of 
so  great  a  work."  ^ 

But  whither  should  they  go  ?  Surely,  not  back  to  Eng- 
land, where  the  darkest  hour  of  Protestantism  was  swiftly 
approaching ;  nor  to  Virginia,  whence  had  recently  come 
tidings  of  extreme  suffering.  In  the  words  of  Canning, 
they  resolved,  however,  to  turn  "  to  the  New  World  to 
redress  the  balance  of  the-  Old ;  "  and  in  the  wilds  of 
America  they  hoped  to  plant  an  equality  of  rights  and 
a  religious  freedom.  "  We  are  well  weaned,"  wrote  John 
Robinson,  their  pastor,  "  from  the  delicate  milk  of  the 
mother  country,  and  inured  to  the  difficulties  of  a  strange 
land  ;  the  people  are  industrious  and  frugal.  We  are  knit 
together  as  a  body  in  a  most  sacred  covenant  of  the  Lord, 
of  the  violation  whereof  we  make  great  conscience,  and  by 
virtue  whereof  we  hold  ourselves  strictly  tied  to  all  care 
of  each  other's  good  and  of  the  whole.  It  is  not  with  us 
as  with  men  whom  small  things  can  discourage."  ^ 

The  die  was  cast,  and  agents  were  at  once  sent  to  England 
to  negotiate  with  the  Virginia  Company  for  a  grant  of  land 
whereon  they  might  "  live  in  a  distinct  body  by  themselves," 

'  Hubbard,  Mass.,  42.     Chron.  Pilgrim.,  44-48. 

'  Chron.  Pilgrim.,  60.  ' 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  5 

and  to  "solicit  of  the  king  liberty  of  conscience."  After 
tedious  delays,  a  patent  was  obtained,  together  with  the 
king's  verbal  promise  that  he  would  "  not  molest  them, 
provided  they  conducted  themselves  peaceably."  Next  were 
put  forth  efforts  to  increase  the  common  fund,  and  to  secure 
the  necessary  means  of  transportation.  Only  the  youngest 
and  strongest  were  to  be  the  "  pioneers  of  tlie  church," 
while  the  eldest  and  weakest  were  hoping  to  follow  them 
at  some  future  time.  Two  vessels  were  chartered,  one  the 
"  Speedwell,"  of  sixty  tons,  in  Holland,  and  the  other  the 
"  Mayflower,"  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  tons,  being  pro- 
cured in  England.  The  poverty  of  the  Pilgrims  is  strikingly 
illustrated  by  the  fact  that  the  whole  cost  of  the  undertaking 
did  not  exceed  twelve  thousand  dollars  ! 

On  the  day  preceding  that  of  the  departure  of  the  Pil- 
grims from  Holland,  Mr.  Robinson  discoursed  some  worthy 
advice  to  the  founders  of  New  England.  When  the  sermon 
was  ended,  there  was  a  feast  at  the  pastor's  house.  Then 
farewells  were  said,  and  the  emigrants  hastily  withdrew  to 
Delfthaven  to  embark  on  board  the  Speedwell.  "  The 
last  night,"  says  one  of  their  number,  "  was  passed  with 
little  sleep  by  the  most,  but  with  friendly  entertainment  and 
Christian  discourse,  and  other  real  expressions  of  true  Chris- 
tian love."  On  the  22d  of  July,  1620,  the  Pilgrims,  "lifting 
up  their  hands  to  each  other  and  their  hearts  for  each  other 
to  the  Lord  God,"  sailed  for  Southampton,  where  the  May- 
flower was  waiting  them.^ 

Before  following  them  farther,  we  ought  first  to  recall 
some  of  the  earlier  attempts  to  colonize  North  America. 
The  discovery  of  the  New  World  promised  little  for  free- 
dom ;  and  its  foremost  result,  indeed,  was  to  give  an  enor- 

'  Chron.  rilgrira.,  384;  also  idem,  88. 


6  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

mous  impulse  to  the  most  bigoted  and  tyrannical  of  the  Con- 
tinental powers,  and  to  pour  the  wealth  of  Mexico  and  Peru 
into  the  treasury  of  Spain.  But  while  the  Spanish  galleons 
traversed  the  southern  seas,  and  Spanish  settlers  claimed 
the  southern  part  of  the  great  continent  for  the  Catholic 
crown,  the  truer  instinct  of  Englishmen  drew  them  to 
the  ruder  and  more  barren  districts  along  the  shores  of 
North  America.  Two  years  before  Columbus  reached  the 
actual  mainland  of  America,  a  Venetian  merchant,  John 
Cabot,  sailing  from  Bristol  in  England,  had  landed  among 
the  icy  solitudes  of  Labrador.  In  the  following  year, 
his  son,  Sebastian  Cabot,  departing  from  the  same  port, 
pushed  south  as  far  as  Maryland,  and  north  as  high  as  Hud- 
son's Bay.  After  a  long  interval,  in  which  the  western 
world  was  well  nigh  forgotten,  Englishmen  turned  again 
to  the  discoveries  of  the  Cabots.  In  1584,  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  having  obtained  a  patent  from  Elizabeth,  de- 
spatched two  ships  under  Captains  Amidas  and  Barlow. 
The  expedition  explored  Albemarle  and  Pamlico  Sounds 
and  Roanoke  Island,  and  then  returned  home  with  glowing 
accounts  of  a  country  where  "  men  lived  after  the  manner 
of  the  Golden  Age."  In  the  next  year,  Raleigh  fitted  out 
seven  ships  and  one  hundred  and  eight  colonists  to  make 
a  settlement.  But  the  attempt  proved  a  failure,  and  thus 
the  century  closed  without  witnessing  a  single  permanent 
English  colony  in  America. 

In  the  year  1606,  however,  James  I.  granted  charters  to 
two  companies,  which  had  organized  "  for  trade,  settlement, 
and  government  "  —  the  London  and  the  Plymouth  Compa- 
nies. Three  ships,  in  the  succeeding  year,  were  sent  out  by 
the  London  Company  to  plant  a  colony  in  Virginia.  In  the 
month  of  April  they  sailed  up  the  James  River,  named  after 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  7 

their  king,  and  in  May  landed  and  founded  tlieir  colony 
at  Jamestown.  They  already  kneV  that  the  secret  of  the 
conquest  of  the  New  World  lay  simply  in  labor ;  and  acting 
on  this  conviction,  "  the  men  fell  to  building  houses  and 
planting  corn."  Thus  the  laws  and  representative  institu- 
tions of  England  were  first  introduced  into  the  New 
World. 

To  return,  now,  to  our  main  subject.  Two  weeks  after 
their  arrival  at  Southampton,  the  Pilgrims  hoisted  sail  and 
started  on  the  voyage  westward.  Scarcely  had  they  lost 
sight  of  land,  when  the  Speedwell  sprung  a  leak,  and  was 
obliged  to  put  into  Plymouth.  "  By  the  consent  of  the 
whole  company "  she  was  dismissed  from  service  ;  and  all 
but  twenty  of  her  passengers  were  transferred  to  the  May- 
flower. On  the  6th  of  September  the  Mayflower,  having 
on  board  one  hundred  passengers,  and  with  the  wind  "  east- 
north-east,  a  fine  small  gale,"  again  put  out  to  sea. 

For  sixty-three  days  the  ship,  "freighted  with  the  desti- 
nies of  a  continent,"  pursued  its  onward  course.  Fair 
weather  was  ere  long  followed  by  fierce  winds  and  storms. 
Several  of  the  passengers  fell  sick,  and  two  were  removed 
by  death.  To  Stephen  Hopkins  was  born  a  son,  christened 
"  Oceanus,"  who  survived  only  a  short  season.  On  the 
9th  of  November  the  sandy  cliffs  of  Cape  Cod  were 
descried  by  the  voyagers ;  and  after  beating  about  for  some 
time,  the  ship  came  to  anchor  in  Cape  Cod  harbor,  when, 
falling  upon  their  knees,  the  Pilgrims  "  blessed  the  Lord, 
the  God  of  heaven,  who  had  brought  them  over  the  vast 
and  furious  ocean,  and  delivered  them  from  all  perils  and 
miseries  therein."  Before  going  ashore,  the  following  com- 
pact was  drawn  up  and  signed  by  all  the  male  members  of 
the  company,  who  were  of  age :  — 


8  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  We,  whose  names  are 
under-written,  the  loyal  subjects  of  our  dread  sovereign 
lord.  King  James,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britain, 
France,  and  Ireland,  King,  defender  of  the  faith,  &c.,  hav- 
ing undertaken,  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  advancement  of 
the  Christian  faith  and  honor  of  our  King  and  country,  a 
voyage  to  plant  the  first  colony  in  the  northern  parts  of 
Virginia,  do,  by  these  presents,  solemnly  and  mutually,  in 
the  presence  of  God  and  one  another,  covenant  and  com- 
bine ourselves  together  into  a  civil  body  politic,  for  our 
better  ordering  and  preservation,  and  furtherance  of  the 
ends  aforesaid,  and  by  virtue  hereof  to  enact,  constitute, 
and  frame  such  just  and  equal  laws,  ordinances,  acts,  con- 
stitutions and  offices,  from  time  to  time,  as  shall  be  thought 
most  meet  and  convenient  for  the  general  good  of  the 
colony ;  unto  which  we  promise  all  due  submission  and 
obedience.  In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunder  sub- 
scribed our  names  at  Cape  Cod,  the  11th  of  November, 
in  the  year  of  the  reign  of  our  sovereign  lord,  King  James, 
of  England,  France,  and  Ireland,  the  18th,  and  of  Scot- 
land the  54th,  A.  D.  1620."  i 

On  this  and  succeeding  days  parties  were  sent  out  from 
the  ship  to  explore  the  country.  Already  the  snow  cov- 
ered the  earth,  and  it  was  thus  with  endless  difficulty  that 
they  succeeded  in  picking  out  their  way.  At  length,  hav- 
ing formed  some  satisfactory  notion  of  the  locality,  and 
eager  to  exchange  the  sea  for  terra  jirma^  the  Pilgrims,  on 
Monday,  the  11th  day  of  December,  old  style,  effected 
a  landing  upon  Fokefather's  Rock.  On  the  20th  the 
settlement  at  Plymouth  was  commenced,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing days    a  fort,  a  storehouse,  and  shelter  for  the  fami- 

•  Chron.  Pilgrim.,  121.     Hubbard,  53,  62.     Forty-one  signed  the  compact. 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  9 

lies,  were  erected.  These  buildings  were  of  the  simplest 
construction,  and  all  were  fashioned  "  of  logs,  with  the 
interstices  filled  with  sticks  and  clay ;  the  roofs  were  cov- 
ered with  thatch ;  the  chimneys  were  of  fragments  of  wood, 
plastered  with  clay ;  and  oiled  paper  served  as  a  substitute 
for  glass  for  the  inlet  of  light."  ^ 

The  first  winter  passed  by  these  colonists  in  America 
was  marked  by  unprecedented  suffering,  and  in  less  than 
four  months  forty-fouTirad  died.  In  a  small  burial-ground, 
on  Cole's  Hill,  the  survivors  laid  away  their  fallen  friends, 
and  carefully  levelled  and  sowed  with  grain  the  earth  that 
rested  upon  them.  Brave  and  resolute  men  still  lingered 
behind.  There  were  Carver,  Bradford,  Brewster,  Standish, 
Winslow,  and  others.  Female  fortitude  and  submission, 
also,  were  not  wanting ;  and  there,  too,  was  "  chilled  and 
shivering  childhood,  houseless  but  for  a  mother's  arms, 
couchless  but  for  a  mother's  breast."  From  a  ''land  to 
which  they  were  never  to  return  "  the  Pilgriras  had  come  ; 
and  "  hither  they  had  brought,  and  here  they  were  to  fix, 
their  hopes  and  their  affections."^ 

The  spring  of  1621  dawned  at  length,  and  the  heart- 
rending trials  of  the  first  winter  had  well  nigh  ceased. 
One  March  day  a  solitary  Indian  savage  approached  the 
settlement,  and  bade  the  Pilgrims,  "  Welcome."  This  was 
Samoset,  who  had  come  from  the  eastern  coast,  "  of  which 
he  gave  profitable  information."  He  gave  the  English 
many  facts  relative  to  the  surrounding  regions  and  the 
wild  tribes  which  peopled  them,  and  said  that  the  place 
of  settlement  which  they  had  named  Plymouth,  "  in  mem- 
ory of  the  hospitalities  which  the  company  had  received  at 
the  last  English  port  from  which  they  had  sailed,"  was  by 

1  Barry,  Hist,  of  Mass.,  i.  90.  "^  Everett's  Plymouth  Address. 

2 


10  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  natives  called  Patuxet.  Two  clays  later,  on  the  18th, 
Samoset  reaj^peared  with  five  companions,  all  of  whom 
"  made  semblance  of  friendship,  ate  liberally  of  the  English 
victuals,  and  sang  and  danced  after  their  manner  like  an- 
tics." Before  the  month  had  closed,  Massasoit,  the  chief 
of  the  Wampanoags,  possessing  the  country  north  of  Nar- 
ragansett  Ba}^  came  in  and  was  received  with  open  hos- 
pitality by  the  settlers,  who,  including  both  wives  and 
children,  now  numbered  not  more  than  fifty.  A  league  of 
peace  was  at  once  concluded,  which  was  kept  inviolate  for 
more  than  half  a  century.  The  "sachem"  acknowledged 
liimself  "  content  to  become  the  subject  of  King  James,  and 
gave  unto  "  the  colonists  and  their  "  heirs  all  the  adjacent 
lands."  1 

One  of  the  earliest  proceedings  of  the  colony  was  the 
institution  of  a  local  government.  Measures  of  self-defence 
had  already  been  taken,  and  Captain  Miles  Standish  had 
been  intrusted  with  "authority  of  command  in  affairs." 
Several  "laws  and  orders"  were  now  passed,  and  John 
Carver  was  chosen  governor.  As  the  season  advanced,  the 
settlers  turned  their  attention  to  the  means  of  future  sup- 
port. Twenty  acres  of  land  were  planted  with  corn  and 
beans,  and  six  acres  with  peas  and  barley.  While  thus 
toiling,  fresh  evils  beset  the  patient  laborers.  On  the  day 
following  the  return  of  the  Mayflower  to  England,  —  April 
6,  —  Governor  Carver,  a  man  "  of  a  public  spirit  as  well 
as  of  a  public  purse,"  was  seized  with  illness  while  at  work 
in  the  fields,  and  died  a  few  hours  afterwards.  On  his 
first  landing  he  had  lost  a  son,  and  his  broken-hearted 
wife  soon  followed  him  in  death.  William  Bradford,  who 
became    the   historian    of   the  colony,  was  appointed  as  the 

'  Morton's  Mem.,  23,  24.     Chron.  Pilgrim.,  180-195. 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  \\ 

successor  of  Governor  Carver.  His  first  official  act  was  to 
send  an  embassy  to  Massasoit,  in  order  "  to  discover  the 
country,  and  to  strengthen  and  establish  the  league  which 
had  been  formed  with  him." 

At  this  time  the  ''Massachusetts"  tribe  of  Indians, 
whose  capital  was  at  Shawmut,  now  Boston,  held  a  wide 
sway.  To  this  tribe  a  trading  expedition  of  ten  men,  under 
the  command  of  Standish,  was  sent  in  September.  They 
proceeded  from  Pl3'mouth,  in  a  shallop,  to  the  "  bottom  of 
the  bay,"  —  probably  near  Squantum,  —  thence,  by  a  cir- 
cuitous route,  they  reached  the  site  of  Charlestown.  But 
their  provisions  soon  gave  out,  and  the  explorers  were 
obliged  to  return  home,  "  with  a  considerable  quantity  of 
beaver,  and  a  good  report  of  the  place." 

The  labors  of  the  spring  were  rewarded  by  a  bounteous 
harvest  in  the  autumn.  There  was  an  abundance  of  wild 
fruits  in  store,  and  a  large  quantity  of  game  had  been 
brought  in.  An  invitation  was  sent  to  Massasoit  and  his 
warriors  to  feast  with  the  Pilgrims  "  after  a  special  man- 
ner ;  "  and  on  the  appointed  day  the  festival  of  Thanks- 
givmg  was  institute4,  and  both  hosts  and  guests  partook  of 
venison,  wild  turkeys,  water-fowl,  and  other  choice  delica- 
cies. It  was  now  the  month  of  November ;  and  just  a  year 
had  gone  by  since  the  passengers  in  the  Mayflower  had 
first  sighted  the  cliffs  of  Cape  Cod.  At  this  time  the  "  vil- 
lage "  of  Plymouth  could  boast  of  seven  dwelling-houses ; 
while  of  the  original  number  of  human  souls  that  had  land- 
ed on  the  Rock,  just  one  half  had  been  gathered  within 
their  graves.  In  the  solitude  of  primeval  forests  the  sur- 
vivors still  found  courage  to  lay  the  corner-stone  of  Ameri- 
can nationality.^ 

'  Chron.  Pilgrim.,  231. 


12  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

On  the  anniversary  of  their  arrival,  an  unknown  bark 
was  descried  hovering  around  Cape  Cod.  It  was  the  "  For- 
tune," with  thirty-five  souls,  "  all  in  health,"  on  board. 
The  new-comers  were  warmly  welcomed  at  Plymouth ;  but 
more  pleasing  was  the  letter  which  they  brought  with  them 
from  England  —  a  new  patent,  "'better  than  the  former, 
with  less  limitation,"  from  the  Council  for  New  England. 
This  charter,  it  may  here  be  said,  is  the  oldest  state  paper 
in  existence  in  Massachusetts. 

After  the  Fortune  had  returned  to  England,  the  sad  dis- 
covery was  made  that  the  supply  of  food  on  hand  could 
not  last  longer  than  six  months,  "  even  at  half-allowance." 
To  add  to  the  deplorable  situation,  the  Narragansetts  began 
to  assume  an  attitude  of  defiance.  At  the  opening  of  the 
new  year  —  162^  —  a  war-challenge  was  actually  received 
from  Canonicus,  the  sachem  of  the  tribe,  in  the  shape  of  a 
bundle  of  arrows  wrapped  in  the  skin  of  a  rattlesnake. 
Governor  Bradford,  having  stuffed  the  skin  with  powder 
and  ball, ,  sent  it  back  with  a  message,  saying  that  if  Ca- 
nonicus "  desired  war  rather  than  peace,  he  might  begin 
whenever  he  pleased ;  they  were  ready  to  receive  him." 
This  bold  rejoinder  produced  the  desired  effect,  and  the 
sachem  thought  no  more  of  hostilities.  Nevertheless,  the 
colonists,  conscious  of  their  own  weakness,  resolved  to 
strengthen  their  means  of  defence.^ 

In  the  month  of  April,  while  a  second  trading  expedition 
*'  to  the  Massachusetts,"  was  being  planned,  the  startling 
announcement  was  made  that  the  Narragansetts  had  leagued 
with  Massasoit  for  the  purpose  of  exterminating  the 
English.  Hobomok,  an  Indian  guide  in  the  employ  of  the 
colonists,   refused    to    give    credit   to  this   intelligence,  and 

>  Chron.  Pilgrim.,  283.     Hubbard,  69. 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  13 

"  expressed  his  willingness  to  vouch  for  the  fidelity  of 
Massasoit."  It  soon  transpired  that  Hobomok  was  right 
in  his  belief,  and  that  nothing  of  evil  had  been  pre- 
meditated against  the  colony.  Thus  encouraged,  Captain 
Standish  and  his  party  resumed  their  journey.  Meanwhile, 
Massasoit  himself,  having  learned  of  the  apprehensions  of 
his  English  allies,  arrived  at  Plymouth,  and  demanded 
the  surrender  of  Tisquantum, — an  Indian  guide,  who  had 
fasely  accused  the  great  chief  of  treachery,  —  in  order  that 
he  might  be  put  to  death.  Governor  Bradford,  who  highly 
esteemed  the  services  of  Tisquantum,  refused  to  give  him 
up.  At  length,  however,  it  was  found  that  the  "  i^ropriety 
of  the  claim  in  accordance  with  the  treaty  could  not  be 
disputed  ; "  and,  accordingly,  the  perjurer  was  surrendered 
to  his  doom.  As  the  fatal  moment  drew  nigh,  "  a  boat 
was  espied,  which  crossed  before  the  town,  and  disappeared 
behind  a  headland ;  and  the  governor  availing  himself  of 
this  incident  to  justify  delay,  the  messengers  "  of  Massasoit, 
"mad  with  rage,"  departed,  and  Tisquantum  escaped. 

Towards  the  last  of  INIay,  tidings  were  brought  in  that 
a  fishing-vessel,  the  "  Sparrow,"  was  anchored  off  Damarin's 
Cove,  near  INIonhegan.  As  the  colonists  were  wholly  with- 
out provisions,  they  regarded  the  intelHgence  of  good  omen. 
Mr.  Edward  Winslow  was  despatched  to  the  vessel,  and 
found  that  it  had  been  sent  out  by  Messrs.  Weston  and 
Beauchamp,  EngHsh  merchants  and  adventurers.  He  was 
graciously  received  by  the  captain  of  the  vessel,  and  was 
furnished  "  with  a  sufficiency  of  bread  to  allow  each  person 
four  ounces  per  day  until  harvest."  By  strict  economy 
and  by  subsisting  often  on  "muscles  and  clams,"  the  colo- 
nists began  to  grow  better  in  their  condition.  But  another 
draught  of  misery  was  in  store  for  them. 


14  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Before  the  days  of  July  had  vanished,  two  ships  belong- 
ing to  "  Master  Weston "  came  to  Plymouth.  They  car- 
ried on  board  nearly  sixty  men,  the  nucleus  of  a  small 
colony.  "  They  are  no  men  for  us,"  remarked  Mr.  Cush- 
man ;  and  even  Master  Weston  himself  pronounced  them 
"rude  and  profane  fellows."  If  we  may  safely  judge  from 
all  accounts,  they  were  not  only  irreligious,  but  also  dissolute 
and  thievish.  The  Pilgrims  had  as  little  as  possible  to  do 
with  them ;  and,  after  a  brief  stay  in  the  neighborhood, 
the  adventurers,  having  already  obtained  a  patent  of  land, 
departed,  and  made  a  settlement  at  Wessagusset,  now 
Weymouth.  This  was  the  first  plantation  established  in 
Boston  harbor. 

These  men  thought  to  live  without  thrift,  and  placed  all 
their  faith  in  luxury  and  carousal.  As  a  consequence, 
extreme  suffering  fell  upon  the  colony,  and  soon  its 
members  were  compelled  to  seek  aid  from  Plymouth,  by 
offering  the  use  of  one  of  their  vessels  in  procuring  supplies. 
After  several  fruitless  attempts  in  this  direction.  Governor 
Bradford,  having  taken  command  of  the  ship,  undertook  to 
voyage  "  to  the  southward  of  Cape  Cod."  He  landed  at 
Monamoycke,  now  Chatham,  and  purchased  of  the  Indians 
eight  hogsheads  of  corn  and  beans.  At  Nauset  and  at 
Barnstable  additional  supplies  were  procured.  Upon  return- 
ing, the  cargo  of  the  "  Swan  "  was  equally  divided  between 
the  colonists  of  Plymouth  and  Wessagusset. 

A  little  later  it  was  announced  that  Massasoit  was  danger- 
ously ill.  Ere  messengers  could  reach  him,  the  intelligence 
was  received  that  the  great  chief  was  dead.  But  this  was 
not  the  truth.  As  soon  as  the  messengers  reached  the 
abode  of  the  sachem,  Mr.  Edward  Winslow  and  his  com- 
panions  administered    "  a   confection   of   many   comfortable 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  15 

conserves."  On  the  next  day  the  chief  had  much  improved 
in  health,  and  was  able  to  exclaim,  "  Now  I  see  the  Eng- 
lish are  my  friends,  and  love  me  ;  and  whilst  I  live  I  will 
never  forget  this  kindness  they  have  showed  me."  Before 
the  messengers  were  ready  to  return  home,  Massasoit  advised 
Hobomok  of  a  plot  against  the  English,  and  Lade  him  to 
admonish  the  colonists  "  to  slay  the  conspirators  "  without 
delay.i 

By  the  23d  of  March,  1623,  everybody  in  Plymouth  was 
apprised  of  the  impending  hostilities,  —  which,  it  appears,  had 
been  provoked  by  the  injustice  of  the  Wessagusset  colonists 
towards  the  Indians,  —  and  Captain  Standish,  with  a  party 
of  men,  was  sent  to  warn  the  former  of  their  danger. 
Scarcely  had  he  reached  the  settlement  when  the  Indians 
came  in  sight,  and  began  to  hover  around.  One  of  them, 
as  if  suspecting  that  the  plot  had  been  discovered,  approached 
Hobomok,  and  said,  "  Tell  your  captain  we  know  what 
he  has  come  for,  but  fear  him  not,  neither  will  we  shun 
him.  Let  him  begin  when  he  dare,  he  shall  not  take  us 
unawares."  Standish,  although  "  angry  in  his  heart,"  dis- 
covered no  signs  of  rage,  and  waited  until  the  conspirators, 
whom  he  recognized,  were  together.  His  own  men,  well 
armed,  were  ready  for  action.  At  a  given  signal,  the 
door  of  the  house  —  in  which  all  had  met  as  if  for  a  parley 
—  was  closed,  and  a  frightful  conflict  opened.  One  after 
another  of  the  villains  fell  dead ;  their  comrades  were 
completely  routed,  and  victory  declared  for  the  English. 
When  the  scene  had  ended,  some  of  the  rescued  sailed 
in  a  ship  for  Monhegan,  and  soon  afterwards  for  England. 
The  remainder  followed  Standish  to  Plymouth.  "When  the 
allies   of  the   INIassachusetts   tribe  heard  of  this  proceeding, 

'  Hubbard,  77,  alleges  that  Weston's  men  provoked  the  conspiracy. 


16  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

"  they  forsook  their  houses,  running  to  and  fro  like  men 
distracted,  living  in  swamps  and  other  desert  j)laces,  and 
so  brought  manifold  diseases  among  themselves,"  whereof 
many  died.^ 

Thus  one  short  year  witnessed  the  beginning  and  the  end- 
ing of  the  Wessagusset  colony.  Behold  the  sequel.  Soon  a 
wanderer  approaches  Monhegan.  Embarking  in  a  shallop, 
he  is  wrecked  near  the  Merrimack.  Indian  savages  rob  him 
of  his  clothing ;  but  he  escapes  with  his  life,  and  craves  a 
shelter  at  Plymouth.  So  wretched  a  man  "  the  sun  never 
shone  upon."  And  yet  this  is  Master  Weston,  the  Merchant 
Adventurer,  "  the  companion  of  nobles,  the  founder  of 
colonies"!  His  fate  teaches  a  moral.  "When,"  says 
Hubbard,  "  men  are  actuated  by  private  interest,  and  are 
eager  to  carry  on  particular  designs  of  their  own,  it  is  the 
bane  of  all  generous  and  noble  enterprises,  and  is  very 
often  rewarded  with  dishonor  and  disadvantage  to  the 
undertakers."  ^ 

In  midsummer,  1623,  Captain  Francis  West,  having  been 
commissioned  by  the  king  Admiral  of  New  England,  and 
instructed  to  restrain  all  unlicensed  vessels  from  fishinsr 
upon  the  northern  coast  of  America,  entered  upon  his 
official  duties.  But,  unhappily,  he  found  the  fishermen 
"too  stubborn  to  submit  to  his  authority,  and  the  ocean 
too  wide  to  be  under  his  surveillance;"  and,  having  re- 
linquished his  undertaking  and  discharged  his  vessel,  he  left 
for  England.  Forthwith  the  question  arose  as  to  whether 
the  king  had  any  right  to  interpose  his  authority  in  this 
matter.  Masters  of  vessels  regarded  the  interference  as 
prompted  by  a  monstrous  assumption,  and  speedily  peti- 
tioned  Parliament   for   a   redress   of  their  grievances.     The 

'  Winslow,  in  Cliron.  Pilgrim.,  345.         *  Barry,  i.  118.    Hubbard,  72. 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  17 

former  claimed  that  no  restrictions  Avhatevcr  ought  to  be 
laid  upon  the  fisheries.  The  king  remained  inflexible, 
while  the  Commons,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  the  New 
England  Council  had  always  exercised  a  monopoly  in 
American  waters,  refused  to  coincide  with  him.  The  sub- 
ject was  given  long  consideration,  and  a  bill  revoking  the 
restrictions  was  passed,  which  the  king  reluctantly  signed. 
But  the  proceeding  gave  cause  for  a  quarrel  which  lasted 
through  very  many  years.  As  one  of  its  immediate  results, 
"  the  fishery  at  the  banks  was  suddenly  and  disastrously 
checked,  the  number  of  vessels  diminishing  in  five  years 
from  four  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  ;  and  in  the 
excitement  which  prevailed,  those  merchants  who  had 
purchased  Monhegan,  and  furnished  it  with  stores,  sold 
their  property,  and  withdrew  from  the  business." 

From  the  beginning  of  this  year,  the  condition  in  which 
the  colonists  found  themselves  was  most  painful.  Indeed, 
during  the  spring  they  were  actually  reduced  to  want ; 
and  "  by  the  time  their  corn  was  planted,  their  victuals 
were  spent,  and  they  knew  not  at  night  where  to  have  a 
bit  in  the  morning  ;  nor  had  they  corn  or  bread  for  three 
or  four  months  together."  The  prodigality  of  the  Wessa- 
gusset  colonists  was,  as  previously  described,  one  of  the 
main  causes  of  this  distress ;  while  another  was  "  the 
clause  in  their  compact  by  which  all  that  was  raised  in 
the  colony  was  placed  in  a  common  stock."  Still  the 
Plymouth  settlers  were  not  disheartened ;  and  even  a 
drought,  which  set  in  in  May,  and,  lasting  for  six  weeks, 
very  nearly  ruined  the  grain  in  the  fields,  did  not  lead 
them  to  abandon  all  hope  for  the  future. 

A  better  day  dawned  unexpectedly.  Rain  fell  "  with- 
out either  wind  or  thunder,  and  by  degrees  in  that  abun- 
3 


18  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

dance  as  that  the  earth  was  thoroughly  wet  and  soaked 
therewith."  The  tender  plants  and  grain  stalks  revived, 
and  once  more  "  a  day  of  thanksgiving  unto  the  Lord  "  was 
eolemnized.  The  Indians  who  had  shared  the  despondency 
of  the  colonists,  said  to  them,  "  Now  we  see  Englishmen's 
God  is  a  good  God ;  for  he  hath  heard  you  and  sent  you 
rain,  and  that  without  storms,  and  tempests,  and  thunder, 
which  usually  we  have  with  our  rain,  which  breaks  down 
our  corn;  but  yours  stands  whole  and  good  still.  Surely 
your  God  is  a  good  God."  '^ 

In  July  the  colonists  saw  two  more  vessels  sail  into  their 
harbor, — the  "  Little  James  "  and  the  "Anne,"  —  together 
having  on  board  sixty  passengers.  We  are  told  that  "  on 
landing  and  witnessing  the  miserable  condition  of  their 
predecessors,  they  were  daunted  and  dismayed.  Some  wished 
themselves  in  England  again  ;  while  others,  in  the  distress 
of  their  friends,  gaunt  with  hunger  and  meanly  clad,  im- 
agined they  saw  their  own  lot  pictured.  The  scene  pre- 
sented a  strange  mixture  of  chagrin,  sorrow,  sympathy,  and 
joy,  —  chagrin  and  sorrow  that  the  circumstances  of  the 
colony  were  so  mean  and  impoverished,  sympathy  and  joy 
caused  by  the  meeting  of  parents  and  children,  husbands 
and  wives,  brothers  and  sisters,  after  a  long  and  painful 
separation."  ^  Two  months  later  the  Anne  returned  to 
England  ;  the  Little  James,  having  been  built  for  the  exclu- 
sive use  of  the  colony,  remained. 

In  the  autumn  of  1623,  Captain  Robert  Gorges,  son  of 
Sir  Ferdinando,  having  been  appointed  lieutenant-general  of 
the  country,  arrived  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay.  He  had  re- 
ceived from  the  Plymouth  Council  a  grant  of  "  the  Massa- 
chusetts," embracing    "all   the    shores    and    coasts  for   ten 

'  Chron.  Pilgrim.,  348.  «  Barry,  i.  125. 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  19 

English  miles  in  a  straight  line  towards  the  north-east,  and 
thirty  miles  into  the  mainland,  through  all  this  breadth." 
He  was  accompanied  by  William  Morrcll,  a  clergyman  of 
the  Established  Church,  who  came  to  exercise  a  sort  of 
jurisdiction  over  ecclesiastical  affairs.  Gorges  first  visitec' 
the  site  of  the  Wessagusset  colony,  where,  shortly  after- 
wards, he  planted  a  new  colony.  For  nearly  a  year  he 
labored  arduously  for  the  success  of  his  enterprise,  when 
necessity  urged  his  quick  return  to  England.  Morrell  fol- 
lowed him  in  a  brief  season. 

When  the  Anne  sailed  for  England,  Mr.  Edward  Wins- 
low  departed  therein  for  the  purpose  of  transacting  business 
with  the  Merchant  Adventurers.  He  returned  home  during 
the  wmter,  in  the  "  Charity,"  with  a  "  full  supply  of  cloth- 
ing and  a  quantity  of  neat  cattle,"  and  also  a  number  of 
letters  addressed  to  his  associates  at  Plymouth.  Whilst  in 
England,  Mr.  Winslow  obtained  a  j^atent  of  lands  at  Cape 
Ann,  executed  by  Edmund,  Lord  Sheffield,  a  member  of 
the  Council  for  New  England,  in  favor  of  Robert  Cushman 
and  Edward  Winslow,  of  Plymouth,  "  for  themselves  and 
their  associates."  Of  this  patent,  and  of  the  plantation 
which  was  erected  under  it,  more  remains  to  be  said  here- 
after. 

Unfortunately  for  the  colonists,  an  Episcopal  minister, 
John  Lyford,  accompanied  Mr.  Winslow  on  his  return 
voyage.  The  coming  of  Lyford  gave  rise  to  a  serious  dis- 
turbance. Although  his  personal  character  was  far  from 
being  respectable,  the  colonists  received  him  graciously,  and 
admitted  him  to  their  councils.  Soon,  however,  he  was 
found  plotting  with  one  John  Oldham,  who  had  come  over 
in  the  Anne,  and  between  whom  "  there  was  nothing  but 
private  whisperings   and  meetings,  they  feeding  themselves 


20  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  others  with  what  they  should  brmg  to  pass  iii  Enghand, 
by  the  faction  of  their  friends  there  ;  which  brought  others 
as  well  as  themselves  into  a  fool's  iDaradise."  These  men 
addressed  letters  to  their  friends  in  England,  and  placed 
them  to  be  forwarded,  in  trust,  with  the  captain  of  the 
Charity.  A  portion  of  the  letters  were  intercepted  by  Gov- 
ernor Bradford. 

Having  matured  his  scheme,  Lyford  withdrew  from  the 
colonial  church,  and  observed  the  Episcopal  form  of  wor- 
ship. A  court  was  convened,  and  the  governor  preferred 
charges  against  him,  and  supported  them  with  the  inter- 
cepted letters.  Both  Lyford  and  Oldham  were  sentenced 
to  banishment.  In  the  spring  of  1625,  the  latter,  who 
had  gone  to  live  at  Nantasket,  returned  to  Plymouth,  and 
agam  proved  obnoxious.  Rigorous  treatment,  however,  soon 
calmed  his  disposition,  and  he  eventually  became  a  foremost 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  colony.  This  whole  affair, 
when  judged  from  a  modern  stand-point,  must  always  be 
looked  upon  with  regret.  Religious  zeal  had  already  deep- 
ened into  violent  sectarianism,  of  which,  as  it  will  shortly 
appear,  the  present  was  not  the  most  deplorable  result. 

Nearly  five  years  had  elapsed  since  a  settlement  had  been 
made  at  Plymouth.  Its  fame,  however  small  it  may  have 
seemed,  was  not  insignificant,  and  had  spread  itself  far  and 
wide.  Already  extensive  fisheries  were  being  carried  on  at 
"  Munhiggon "  by  merchants  of  Bristol,  and  stages  had 
been  erected  at  Cape  Ann  by  merchants  of  Dorchester. 
Hundreds  in  England  watched  the  progress  of  American 
colonization  with  interest,  and  impatiently  awaited  the  ful- 
filment of  grander  and  more  important  results.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  White,  of  Dorchester,  having  called  to  his  assistance 
certain  gentlemen  of  means  residing  in  his  locality,  organ- 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  21 

ized,  on  a  capital  of  three  thousand  pounds,  what  was 
known  as  the  Dorchester  Company,  which,  forming  a  con- 
nection with  the  grantees  of  the  Sheffield  patent,  shipped 
to  America  a  number  of  persons  to  form  a  settlement  at 
Cape  Ann.  By  invitation,  the  banished  Lyford  became  the 
minister  of  these  people.  Not  long  afterwards,  a  rupture 
occurred  between  the  Plymouth  colonists  and  the  IMerchant 
Adventurers,  occasioned,  probably,  by  errors  on  both  sides. 
From  the  beginning  "  the  connection  of  the  merchants  with 
the  colonists  was  more  mercenary  than  moral ;  and  the  con- 
nection of  the  colonists  with  the  merchants  was  involuntary 
and  profitless."  ^ 

Circumstances  were  such  that  neither  party  in  the  quar- 
rel Avished  for  a  reconciliation ;  and  hence,  in  order  to  close 
up  affairs  in  a  proper  manner,  Captain  Standish  was  sent  to 
England,  in  the  autumn  of  1625,  bearing  a  letter  to  the 
Council  for  New  England,  "soliciting  their  interference." 
Notwithstanding  that  his  mission  was  partially  unsuccessful, 
he  won  the  favor  and  esteem  of  several  members  of  the 
Council,  with  whom  he  negotiated  a  loan  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds.  In  the  following  spring  he  returned 
home  with  a  supply  of  goods,  and  also  with  the  sorrowful 
intelligence  of  the  deaths  of  John  Robinson  and  of  Mr.  C ash- 
man. During  his  absence,  his  associates,  rejoicing  over  a 
bountiful  harvest  and  the  continuance  of  good  health,  had 
sent  out  a  trading  party  to  the  region  of  the  Kennebec, 
which  brought  back  "  seven  hundred  pounds  of  beaver  in 
exchange  for  their  corn."  The  reward  of  this  and  other 
similar  enterprises  was  amply  sufficient  to  cancel  the  debt 
which  Standish  had  contracted  in  England,  as  m'cII  as  others 
of  longer  standing.     The  rupture  with  the    ^Merchant  Ad- 

'  Mass.  Kist.  Col.,  vol.  iii. 


22  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

venturers  was  not,  therefore,  so  fraught  with  evil  as  many 
at  first  had  conjectured. 

The  Ptymouth  people  firmly  believed  in  thrift  and  enter- 
prise. As  nothing  was  to  be  obtained  without  labor,  so 
nothing  could  be  gained  without  venture.  To  be  always 
upon  the  watch  for  likely  risks  was  their  motto.  In  the 
spring  of  1627,  messengers  from  the  Dutch  settlement  at 
Manhattan  arrived  at  Plymouth,  bearing  "  fairly  written  " 
letters  from  the  secretary  of  New  Netherland.  The  Pilgrims 
were  shocked  to  read  themselves  "high  titled"  in  these 
epistles,  but  were  exceedingly  well  pleased  with  the  "  agree- 
able overtures  "  to  trade  that  were  therein  conveyed.  These 
■  overtures  were  accepted ;  and  inasmuch  as  the  good  folk  at 
Manhattan  "  had  monopolized  nearly  all  the  fur  trade  at 
Narragansett  and  Buzzard's  Bay,  they  were  desired  to  for- 
bear trading  in  those  parts,  as  they  were  held  to  be  within 
the  limits  of  the  Plymouth  patent."  Whereupon  the  Dutch 
took  offence,  and  asserted  their  intention  to  defend  rights 
which,  they  alleged,  were  delegated  to  themselves  by  the 
States  General  of  Holland.  The  Pilgrims  forwarded  this 
defiant  response  to  their  friends  in  England,  and  solicited 
advice. 

In  September,  1627,  De  Rasieres,  secretary  of  New 
Netherland,  came  in  person  to  Plymouth,  where  he  was 
hospitably  entertained.  He  proposed  offers  of  trade,  which 
the  colonists  accepted.  Upon  returning,  he  carried  letters 
to  the  director  general  of  Manhattan,  in  which  the  Pilgrims 
insisted  that  the  Dutch  should  "clear  the  title  of  their 
planting  in  these  parts,  which  his  majesty  hath,  by  patent, 
granted  to  divers  his  nobles  and  subjects  of  quahty."  Mean- 
while Mr.  Allerton,  who  had  been  sent  to  England  to  wind 
up  the  connection  with  the  Merchant  Adventurers,  returned 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  23 

home.  While  abroad,  he  had  effected  a  compact  with  the 
Adventurers,  the  terms  of  which  were,  that,  "  for  eighteen 
hundred  pounds,  to  be  paid  at  the  Royal  Exchange  every 
Michaelmas,  in  nine  equal  annual  instalments,  the  first  in 
1628,  the  Company  sold  to  '  the  Pilgrims  '  all  their  inter- 
est in  the  plantation,  including  merchandise  and  lands." 
This  compact,  being  deemed  a  favorable  one,  was  fully 
sanctioned  by  the  colonists;  and,  in  order  to  be  able  to 
fulfil  its  conditions,  "  a  new  partnership  was  formed,  into 
which  every  head  of  a  family  and  every  prudent  young 
man  were  admitted  ;  the  trade  was  to  be  managed  as  before  ; 
and  provisions  were  made  for  the  payment  of  the  debts  of 
the  colony,  and  the  division  of  the  neat  cattle  and  lands 
among  the  settlers."  ^  Enterprise  received  a  fresh  impetus, 
and  the  limits  of  the  same  were  extended.  A  pinnace  was 
built  at  Manomet;  a  house  was  erected,  servants  lodged 
therein,  "ever  in  readiness  to  go  out  with  the  boat,"  and 
corn  was  planted  in  the  neighboring  field.  Such  was  the 
beginning  of  Sandwich. 

The  colonists  were  now,  in  one  sense,  independent,  and 
in  a  condition  to  act  for  themselves.  Again  Mr.  AUerton 
sailed  for  England,  and  in  1628  secured  a  "  patent  for  the 
Kennebec,"  and  paid  the  first  instalment  of  two  hundred 
pounds  to  the  Adventurers.  It  was  in  this  way  that  the 
partnership  with  the  latter  was  dissolved,  and  the  colonists 
entered  upon  a  new  period  of  happiness  and  prosperity. 
From  these  considerations  we  now  turn  to  an  episode  which 
marks  the  history  of  these  3'ears. 

So  early  as  1625,  about  thirty  persons,  under  the  com- 
mand of  one  Captain  Wollaston,  began  a  settlement  on  an 
eminence   in    Quincy,  —  still   known   as   Mount   Wollaston. 

'  Barry,  i.  139.     Hubbard,  98. 


24  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Among  the  number  was  Thomas  Morton,  a  lawyer,  of  whom 
little  else  is  handed  down.  In  a  year's  time  Wollaston 
went  to  Virginia,  leaving  a  Mr.  Filcher  in  charge  of  the 
colony.  During  his  absence,  Morton  and  his  retainers  de- 
posed Filcher,  and  amid  scenes  of  drunkenness  and  debauch- 
ery "  such  as  these  western  wilds  had  never  before  wit- 
nessed," themselves  assumed  all  control.  Morton  became 
"  lord  of  misrule,"  and  to  the  place  gave  the  name  of 
Merry  Mount.  "  Bacchanalian  revelry,"  says  an  historian, 
"  reigned  triumphant ;  and  around  a  tall  May-pole,  decked 
with  garlands,  the  leader  of  the  party,  with  his  companions 
and  the  dissolute  Indian  women  of  the  vicinity,  like  so 
many  Hecates,  danced  the  Saturnalia  of  wantonness  and 
lewdness.  Merry  Mount  became  the  school  of  Atheism,  the 
asylum  of  the  vicious,  and  the  resort  of  the  profligate." 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Morton,  after  coming  into  power, 
was  to  instruct  the  Indians  in  the  use  of  fire-arms.  He 
even  sold  to  them  upwards  of  twenty  guns  and  a  large 
quantity  of  ammunition,  and  then  departed  to  England  for 
more.  This  proceeding  was  deemed  by  the  Plymouth  colo- 
nists one  of  misconduct ;  and  a  meeting  of  the  chief  plant- 
ers was  held  to  take  the  matter  into  consideration.  It 
was  declared  that  "  so  public  a  mischief"  ought  to  be  guard- 
ed against. 

In  response  to  an  entreaty  to  desist  from  such  acts, 
Morton  said,  "  Proclamations  are  no  laws,  and  enforce  no 
penalties.  The  king  is  dead,  and  his  displeasure  dies  with 
him.  I  shall  trade  with  the  natives  despite  of  your  pro- 
tests." This  rejoinder,  couched  in  the  most  profane  and 
insulting  language,  was  sufficient  cause  for  wrath  ;  and  Cap- 
tain Standish,  with  a  company  of  men,  was  ordered  to  arrest 
Morton.     The  latter  made  a  vain  show  of  bravado,  but  was 


THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY.  25 

finally  brought  a  prisoner  to  Plymouth.  In  the  custody  of 
John  Oldham,  he  was  sent  to  England  to  be  tried,  where, 
however,  by  "  audacious  and  colored  pictures,"  he  success- 
fully pleaded  his  own  cause,  and  was  released.  In  the  spring 
of  1629  he  returned  to  Plymouth  as  the  secretary  of  Mr. 
Allerton,  and  within  a  short  time  after  his  arrival  again 
*'  resorted  to  his  old  haunts."  A  second  time  "  the  Lord 
of  iNIerry  Mount  "  was  shipped  to  England,  on  suspicion  of 
murder.  Being  tried  and  acquitted,  he  came  back  to  Amer- 
ica, and  died  "  in  obscurity  at  Piscataqua."  It  remains  to 
be  said  that  the  scene  of  his  rascality  "became  the  seat  of 
an  honest,  thriving,  and  sober  township,"  and  latterly  noted 
as  the  birthplace  of  the  Adamses.  The  story  of  Morton's 
career  furnishes  one  of  the  most  singular  episodes  in  the  his- 
tory of  Massachusetts,  and  has  variously  been  judged  by 
different  writers.  Morton  himself  was  the  author  of  several 
works,  and  in  his  "  New  English  Canaan,"  presents  the 
following  ludicrous  account  of  the  aborigines  :  "  The  Indians 
may  be  rather  accompted  as  living  richly,  wanting  nothing 
that  is  needful,  and  to  be  commended  for  leading  a  con- 
tented life,  the  younger  being  ruled  by  the  elder,  and  the 
elder  ruled  by  the  Powahs,  and  the  Powahs  are  ruled  by 
the  Devill,  and  then  you  may  imagine  what  good  rule  is 
like  to  be  amongst, them."  ^ 

Meanwhile  the  affairs  of  the  Plymouth  colony  were  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  In  the  autumn  of  1629  a  new  grant 
was  obtained  from  England ;  and  eleven  j^ears  later  the 
patent  from  the  New  England  Council  was  surrendered  by 
Governor  Bradford  to  the  people.  In  1636  the  laws  of  the 
colony  were  revised,  and  the  powers  of  the  executive  were 
defined.     Three  3-ears  afterwards,  deputies  from  the  several 

•  Morton,  N.  Eng.  Can.     Barry,  Bancroft,  &c. 

4 


26  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

towns  in  the  colony  assembled,  and  assumed  the  authority 
which  had  hitherto  been  lodged  with  the  whole  body  of 
freemen.  At  the  close  of  1643,  there  were,  besides  Plym- 
outh, six  settled  towns  in  the  colony,  namely :  Duxbury,  so 
named  from  its  being  the  home  of  the  military  chief  (dux) 
Miles  Standish  ;  Scituate,  Taunton,  Barnstable,  Sandwich,  and 
Yarmouth,  —  all  of  which  were  in  a  most  flourishing  state. 
It  is  impossible  for  the  present  generation  to  look  back 
upon  the  career  of  the  Pilgrims  without  being  impressed 
with  the  magnitude  and  the  importance  of  their  mission. 
Goaded  by  religious  persecution,  these  separatists  "  showed 
the  way  to  an  asylum  for  those  who  would  go  to  the  wil- 
derness for  the  purity  of  religion  or  the  liberty  of  con- 
science." Reared  amid  hardships  and  want,  early  inured 
to  toil,  and  unaccustomed  to  luxury  and  wealth,  they  set 
the  example  of  colonizing  New  England,  "  and  formed  the 
mould  for  the  civil  and  religious  character  of  its  institu- 
tions." These  men  "  were  the  servants  of  posterity,  the 
benefactors  of  succeeding  generations.  In  the  history  of  the 
world,  many  pages  are  devoted  to  commemorate  the  men 
who  have  besieged  cities,  subdued  provinces,  or  overthrown 
empires.  In  the  eye  of  reason  and  of  truth,  a  colony  is  a 
better  offering  than  a  victory  ;  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States  should  rather  cherish  the  memory  of  those  who  found- 
ed a  state  on  the  basis  of  democratic  liberty ;  the  fathers  of 
the  country  ;  the  men  who,  as  they  first  trod  the  soil  of 
the  NcAv  World,  scattered  the  seminal  principles  of  repub- 
lican freedom  and  national  independence.  They  enjoyed  in 
anticipation  the  thought  of  their  extending  influence,  and 
the  fame  which  their  grateful  successors  would  award  to 
their  virtues."  ^ 

*  Bancroft,  i.  320. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  27 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  MASSACHUSETTS    COLONY. 

After  the  death  of  James  I.,  in  1625,  his  son  Charles 
I.,  succeeded  to  the  throne.  He  cherished  the  politi- 
cal theories  of  his  predecessor,  showed  only  small  respect 
for  Parliaments,  to  whom  he  granted  "  liberty  of  coun- 
sel, but  not  of  control,"  and  did  not  hesitate  to  invade 
the  rights  and  religious  scruples  of  his  people.  One  of  his 
earliest  and  most  obnoxious  acts  was  to  depose  the  lenient 
Abbott,  and  to  place  the  infamous  Laud  at  the  head  of 
ecclesiastical  affairs.  As  a  result  of  this  proceeding,  the 
severest  penalties  were  imposed  upon  all  those  who  refused 
to  become  members  of  the  Established  Church.  The  com- 
motions in  church  and  state  bore  heavily  upon  the  Puritans, 
who  now  besran  to  look  around  them  for  some  safe  retreat. 

O 

Already  the  good  reports  from  the  Plymouth  colony  had 
awakened  their  attention  ;  and  to  America  they  also  dared 
to  turn  "for  the  tranquil  and  peaceful  enjoyment  "  of  their 
rights.^ 

The  Dorchester  Company,  which,  as  has  been  related  in 
the  previous  chapter,  established  a  colony  at  Cape  Ann  in 
the  autumn  of  1623,  was  dissolved  in  1626.  Mr.  Roger 
Conant,  who  had  been  placed  in  charge  of  the  colony,  soon 
became  dissatisfied  with  the  location,  and  removed  to  "  a 
fruitful  neck  of  land  "  at  Naumkeag,  now  Salem,  "  secretly 

'  Barry,  i.  153.     Pari.  Hist.  Eng.,  ix.  69,  seq. 


28  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

conceiving  in  his  mind  that  in  following  times  it  might 
prove  a  receptacle  for  such  as,  uj)on  the  account  of  religion, 
would  be  willing  to  begin  a  foreign  plantation  in  this  part 
of  the  world,  of  which  he  gave  intimation  to  his  friends  in 
England."  ^  Although  the  colony  which  was  presided  over 
by  this  excellent  man  was  exceedingly  diminutive,  —  num- 
bering, perhaps,  not  more  than  fifty  persons,  —  still  it  should 
always  be  remembered  as  having  been  the  germ  of  the  re- 
nowned Massachusetts  colony. 

Mr.  Conant  lost  no  time  in  informing  the  Rev.  John 
White,  the  father  of  the  Cape  Ann  colony,  and  "  under 
God  one  of  the  chief  founders  of  the  Massachusetts  colon}^," 
of  his  new  project.  The  latter  immediately  wrote  back, 
saying  that,  if  Mr.  Conant  should,  together  with  John 
Woodbur}^,  John  Balch,  and  Peter  Palfreys,  remain  at  Naum- 
kcag,  he  would  obtain  for  them  a  patent,  and  forward  men 
and  supplies.  The  companions  of  Mr.  Conant  at  first  re- 
fused to  enter  into  this  engagement,  preferring  rather  to 
remove  to  Virginia.  They  were  persuaded,  however,  to 
tarry  ;  and  in  consequence  of  this  resolution,  their  names 
have  descended  to  the  present  generation  as  "  the  sentinels 
of  Puritanism  on  the  Bay  of  Massachusetts."  ^  Faithful  to 
his  promise,  Mr.  White  obtained  a  patent,  in  1628,  con- 
veying to  six  individuals.  Sir  Henry  Rosewell,  Sir  John 
Young,  John  Humphrey,  Thomas  Southcote,  John  Endicott, 
and  Simon  Whetcomb,  "that  part  of  New  England  lying 
between  three  miles  to  the  north  of  the  Merrimac  and 
three  miles  to  the  south  of  the  Charles  River,  and  of  every 
part  thereof,  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay;  and  in  length  be- 
tween the  described  breadth,  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to 
the  South  Sea."  3 

'  Hubbard,  Hist.,  102-107.  3  Hubbard,  108.    8  M.  H.  Coll.,  iii.  326,  seq. 

•  Bancroft,  i.  iJU'J. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY,  29 

This  patent  having  been  secured,  Mr.  "White  labored  hard 
to  advance  the  enterprise  still  farther.  It  required  all  the 
eloquence  and  argument  at  his  command  to  interest  others 
in  the  undertaking.  After  some  delay,  Rosewell,  Young, 
and  Southcote  withdrew,  and  the  rest,  having  entered  into 
a  partnership  with  certain  London  merchants,  assumed  all 
rights  by  purchase,  and  formed  themselves  into  an  organiza- 
tion known  as  the  Massachusetts  Company,  of  which  John 
Endicott  was  chosen  a  leading  representative,  and  was 
commissioned  "  to  carry  on  the  plantation  of  the  Dorchester 
agents,  and  to  make  way  for  the  settling  of  another  colony 
in  the  Massachusetts."  ^  In  June,  1628,  Endicott,  with  a 
small  company  of  emigrants,  left  England,  and  in  the  same 
year  arrived  safely  at  Xaumkeag,  where  the  former  at  once 
"entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  as  magistrate  and 
governor."  2  At  the  close  of  the  year,  the  colony  numbered 
about  one  hundred  persons,  who  had  come  hither  mostly 
"  from  Dorchester  and  some  places  adjoining."  ^ 

In  the  following  year  the  colony  was  largely  increased 
by  new  arrivals,  and  arrangements  were '  set  on  foot  for 
the  establishing  of  a  local  government,  to  be  styled  "  The 
Governor  and  Council  of  London's  Plantation  in  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay,  in  New'England."  Thirteen  members  were 
chosen  to  constitute  this  government.  John  Endicott  was 
appointed  governor ;  and  John  Browne,  Samuel  Browne, 
Samuel  Sharpe,  Thomas  Graves,  and  the  three  ministers, 
constituted  his  council.  "  These  eight  chose  three  others, 
from  among  the  new  emigrants,  or  those  of  the  previous 
year,  at  their  option,  and  the  'old  planters,'  two  more, 
making,  with  the  governor,  thirteen  in  all.  This  govern- 
ment was  strictly  subordinate  to  the  company  in  England ; 

'  Hubbard,  109.  *  Barry,  i.  1G2.  ^  Chron.  IMass.,  cli.  xvii. 


30  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

its  members  were  not  chosen  by  the  freemen  of  the  place ; 
and  though  its  powers  were  extensive,  they  were  by  no 
means  unlimited.  Punishment  for  ordinary  offences  could 
be  inflicted,  but  to  some  cases  neither  its  jurisdiction  nor 
that  of  the  company  at  this  time  extended  ;  and  in  these 
cases  the  guilty  parties  were  to  be  returned  to  England  for 
the  final  adjudication  of  their  offences,  where  the  supreme 
legislative  authority  then  lay."  ^ 

Land  was  apportioned  among  the  settlers,  and  restrictions 
were  laid  upon  their  manner  of  habitation.  A  just  and  hon- 
orable policy  was  adopted  towards  the  Indians.  All  territory 
was  to  be  purchased  from  them  by  agreement,  and  nothing 
was  to  be  wrested  by  force.  Little  or  no  familiar  inter- 
course was  to  be  maintained  with  them,  however ;  but  a 
deference  and  respect  were  to  be  cherished  for  their  natural 
rights.  The  moral  regulation  of  the  colony  was  an  object 
of  the  first  importance.  The  Sabbath  was  to  be  *'  celebrated 
in  a  religious  manner ; "  profanity  was  absolutely  forbidden 
under  penalty  ;  industry  was  to  be  always  encouraged,  and 
idleness  proscribed.  As  moderation  was  deemed  the  first 
duty  of  a  pioneer,  all  cases  of  drunkenness  were  to  be  ex- 
emplarily  punished. 

In  June,  1629,  a  company  of  emigrants,  under  the  con- 
duct of  Mr.  Francis  Higginson,  a  minister  of  Leicestershire, 
and  a  man  "  mighty  in  the  Scriptures  and  learned  in  the 
tongues,"  arrived  at  Naumkeag.  Mr.  Higginson  is  still  re- 
membered as  the  author  of  "  New  England's  Plantation,"  a 
small  volume,  first  published  in  London,  in  1630,  and  which 
contains  one  of  the  best  descriptions  of  the  country.  Shortly 
after  the  arrival  of  this  company,  three  brothers,  Ralph, 
Richard,  and  William  Sprague,  and  others,  made  a  journey 

'  Barry,  i.  1G5. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  31 

to  "  Mishawum,"  now  Charlestown.  The  report  which  they 
brought  back  of  the  place  was  extremely  favorable,  and 
led  to  the  laying  out  of  a  town  in  that  locality,  "  with 
streets  around  the  hill."  Before  the  year  had  drawn  to  a 
close,  there  were  living  at  Charlestown  nearly  one  hundred 
inhabitants,  and  at  Salem  at  least  four  hundred.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  the  Puritan  colony  had  far  outstripped 
in  numbers  that  of  the  impoverished  Pilgrims. 

In  midsummer  a  council  was  held  with  the  "  Plymouth 
brethren  "  with  regard  to  the  organization  of  a  church.  On 
this  interesting  occasion  thirty  members  were  gathered  ;  a 
choice  was  made  of  the  elders  and  deacons,  and  a  covenant 
and  confession  of  faith  were  subscribed.  Mr.  Samuel  Skel- 
ton,  of  Lincolnshire,  was  ordained  pastor,  and  Mr.  Higgin- 
son  teacher  of  this  small  body.  Thus  was  established  the 
church  at  Salem,  —  the  second  in  Massachusetts  on  the 
basis  of  Independent  Congregationalism. ^ 

And  yet  there  were  a  few  among  these  Puritans  who 
pronounced  these  proceedings  arbitrary.  Two  brothers, 
John  and  Samuel  Browne,  complained  bitterly  because  the 
service  of  the  Episcopal  Church  was  "  taken  of  no  account," 
and  thus  aroused  the  indiscretion  of  their  associates.  Gov- 
ernor Endicott,  "  finding  these  two  brothers  to  be  of  high 
spirits,  and  their  speeches  and  practices  tending  to  mutiny 
and  faction,"  told  them  that  "  New  England  was  no  place 
for  them,  and  therefore  he  sent  them  both  back  to  Eng- 
land at  the  return  of  the  ships  the  same  year."  '^  Posterity 
has  variously  judged  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Endicott.  But 
whatever  may  be  thought  of  it  now,  it  is  certainly  to  be 
regretted  that  an  exclusive  spirit  should  so  early  have  taken 

'  Mather,  Magnalia.     Felt's  Hist,  of  Salem.     Barry,  i.  171 
*  Hubbard,  64. 


32  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

root  in  a  colony  founded,  as  was  the  Massachusetts  colony, 
upon  the  broad  grounds  of  Christian  toleration. 

We  have  now  to  record  one  of  the  most  unique  transac- 
tions in  the  history  of  English  colonization,  and  one,  too, 
which  has  oftentimes  been  the  subject  of  warm  discussion. 
In  July,  1629,  Matthew  Cradock,  governor  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Company,  presented  at  one  of  the  courts  "  certain 
propositions  conceived  by  himself,  namely  :  that  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  plantation,  the  inducing  and  encouraging 
persons  of  worth  and  quality  to  transport  themselves  and 
families  thither,  and  for  other  weighty  reasons  therein  con- 
tained, to  transfer  the  government  of  the  plantation  to  those 
that  shall  inhabit  there,  and  not  to  continue  the  same  in 
subordination  to  the  company  here,  as  it  now  is."  ^ 

Hitherto  the  Massachusetts  Company  and  the  Massachu- 
setts colony  had  been  closely  identified ;  but  now  they  were 
virtually  distinct  bodies,  "  the  latter  subordinate  to  the  for- 
mer, and  dependent  upon  it  for  support."  The  change 
which  Mr.  Cradock  proposed  was  one  of  the  most  vital 
importance,  and  consequently  it  awakened  great  interest. 
This  is  not  the  place  to  enter  into  any  discussion  either 
of  its  merits  or  demerits,  or  even  to  revive  the  question  of 
its  legality.  It  is  sufficient  for  us  to  know  that  Justice 
Story  has  written  that  "  the  whole  structure  of  the  char- 
ter "  granted  to  the  Massachusetts  Company  "  presupposes 
the  residence  of  the  company  in  England,  and  the  transac- 
tion of  all  its  business  there  ;  "  ^  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
not  a  few  eminent  jurists  have  expressed  the  opinion  that 
the  so-called  transfer  of  the  charter  was  wholly  legal.     The 

'  Hubbard,  123. 

*  Story,  Com.  on  Const.,  i.  48.  'See  Washburn's  Judicial  History,  13.  Chal- 
niere's  Annals,  ir3. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  88 

colonists  themselves  maintained  that  "  their  charter  made 
them  a  corporation  on  the  place."  Whether  it  was  legal  or 
not,  the  latter  opinion  was  certainly  democratic,  and  was 
sanctioned  by  the  Long  Parliament  of  England.  "  Other 
plantations,"  writes  John  Winthrop,  in  his  Journal,^  "  have 
been  undertaken  at  the  charge  of  others  in  England,  and 
the  planters  have  their  dependence  upon  the  companies 
there,  and  those  planters  go  and  come  chiefly  for  matters  of 
profit ;  but  we  came  to  abide  here,  and  to  plant  the  gospel, 
and  people  the  country ;  and  herein  God  hath  marvellously 
blessed  us." 

Some  time  before  the  agreement  was  made  relative  to 
the  transfer  of  the  charter,  twelve  gentlemen  in  Cambridge, 
England,  signed  a  compact  that  if  "  before  the  last  of  Sep- 
tember the  government  and  patent  of  the  plantation  were 
legally  transferred,  to  remain  with  the  emigrants,  they, 
with  such  of  their  families  as  were  to  go  with  them,  would, 
by  the  first  of  March,  1G30,  embark  to  inhabit  and  continue 
in  New  England."  ^  Inasmuch  as  the  transfer  was  to  blend 
the  company  and  the  colony  into  one,  a  meeting  was  held 
at  the  earliest  moment  for  the  purpose  of  choosing  new 
officers. 

There  was  one  man  associated  with  the  organization 
whose  name  should  never  be  forgotten.  This  was  John 
Winthrop,  a  native  of  Groton,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and 
a  Christian  by  example.  He  was  "  accustomed  from  youth 
to  an  easy  and  familiar  intercourse  with  persons  of  refine- 
ment and  intelligence ;  associating  with  the  Avorthiest  of  the 
commoners,  and  nobility  of  the  realm ;  conversant  with  the- 
ology as  well  as  with  the  law  ;  possessed  of  a  comfortable 
estate  of  at  least  six  hundred  pounds'  income ;  eminent  for 

'  Winthrop,  iL  3GG.  *  Chron.  Mass.,  ch.  xiv. 

5 


34  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

his  liberality,  and  distinguished  for  his  hospitality,  —  he  was 
now  in  the  maturity  of  his  powers  and  the  vigor  of  his 
years,  having  just  turned  forty  —  a  period  when,  if  ever, 
the  character  of  the  man  is  developed,  and  the  full  energies 
of  his  being  are  brought  into  activity."  ^  Mr.  Winthrop 
was  a  gentleman,  who  possessed  both  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  his  fellows ;  and  thus  he  enjoys  the  high  honor 
of  being  the  first  governor  chosen  by  the  freemen  of  the 
Massachusetts  colony. 

Associated  with  him  in  the  enterprise  were  Thomas  Dud- 
ley, Richard  Saltonstall,  Isaac  Johnson,  John  Humphrey, 
William  Coddington,  Simon  Bradstreet,  and  other  persons 
of  influence  and  respectability.  They  were,  in  great  part, 
men  of  the  professional  and  middle  classes,  some  of  them 
of  large  landed  estates,  some  zealous  clergymen,  some  shrewd 
London  lawyers,  or  young  scholars  from  Oxford.  The  bulk 
were  God-fearing  farmers  from  Lincolnshire  and  the  eastern 
counties.  They  desired,  in  fact,  "  only  the  best,"  as  sharers 
in  their  enterprise  ;  they  were  driven  forth  from  their  father- 
land, not  by  earthly  want,  nor  by  the  greed  of  gold,  nor  by 
the  lust  of  adventure,  but  by  the  fear  of  God  and  the  zeal 
for  a  godly  worship.  How  fortunate  for  New  England  that 
it  was  settled  by  such  men  ! 

On  the  28th  of  August,  1629,  "after  a  long  and  serious 
debate "  before  the  court,  the  government  and  patent  of 
the  Massachusetts  colony  were  settled  in  New  England ; 
and  the  associates  of  Winthrop  were  then  "  confirmed  in 
the  desire  to  found  a  new  and  a  better  commonwealth 
beyond  the  Atlantic,  even  though  it  might  require  the  sale 
of  their  hereditary  estates,  and  hazard  the  inheritance  of 
their  children."     Did  such  a  desire  annihilate   the   love   of 

'  Barry,  i.  184, 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  35 

country  ?  "I  shall  call  that  my  country,"  wrote  Winthrop, 
"  where  I  may  most  glorify  God,  and  enjoy  the  presence 
of  my  dearest  friends."  ^  The  fit  word  was  spoken ;  and 
the  Puritan  emigration  began  on  such  a  scale  as  England 
had  never  before  witnessed. 

At  the  appointed  season,  in  March,  1G30,  a  fleet  of  eleven 
vessels,  "  filled  with  passengers  of  all  occupations,  skilled 
in  all  kinds  of  faculties  needful  for  the  planting  of  a  new 
colony,"  set  sail  for  the  New  World.  "  Farewell,  dear  Eng- 
land !  "  was  the  cry  which  burst  from  the  first  little  com- 
pany of  emigrants,  as  its  shores  faded  from  their  sight. 
"  Our  hearts,"  said  one  to  the  brethren  left  behind,  "  shall 
be  fountains  of  tears  for  your  everlasting  welfare,  when  we 
shall  be  in  our  poor  cottages  in  the  wilderness."  The 
voyage  was  stormy  and  tempestuous  ;  but  by  the  8tli  of 
July  all  the  vessels  \vere  safely  moored  in  the  harbor  of 
Salem.  Governor  Winthrop  himself  arrived  about  the  mid- 
dle of  June. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  Winthrop,  with  others,  "  sailed 
up  the  Mystic,"  and  there  found  "  a  good  place."  A  second 
party,  setting  out  shortly  afterwards,  found  a  place  "three 
leagues  up  Charles  River,"  which  suited  better.  On  the 
10th  of  July,  a  removal  from  Salem  was  determined  upon, 
because  "  it  did  not  suit  for  the  capital  town,"  and  the 
majority  of  the  emigrants  proceeded  to  Charlestown,  where 
they  erected  houses  around  the  hill.^  Not  many  days  had 
gone  by  before  a  distressing  mortality,  occasioned  by  hard- 
ships and  a  want  of  nourishing  food,  carried  off  many  of  the 
colonists.  The  venerable  Higginson,  the  wives  of  Pynchon 
and  Coddington,  and  of  Phillips  and  Alcock,  were  among 
the  number.     But  the  saddest  death  of  all  was  that  of  the 

'  Winthrop,  i.  432.  »  Hubbard,  13-1.     Chron.  Mass.,  378. 


36  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Lady  Arabella,  wife  of  Isaac  Johnson,  Esq.,  who  had  come 
"  from  a  paradise  of  plenty  and  pleasure  into  a  wilderness 
of  wants."  One  month  later,  her  husband  also  died,  "  over- 
whelmed in  a  flood  of  tears  and  grief."  ^ 

The  sufferings  of  the  people  of  Charlestown  were  such 
that  a  further  dispersion  was  agreed  upon.  Before  the  year 
had  closed,  two  hundred  had  passed  from  the  living.  To 
Watertown  went  Sir  Richard  Saltonstall,  Mr.  Phillips,  and 
others  ;  Mr.  Bradstreet  and  Mr.  Dudley  and  others,  settled 
at  Newtown,  now  Cambridge  ;  Mr.  Pynchon  and  others,  at 
Roxbury ;  while  of  the  remainder  some  repaired  to  Lynn, 
some  to  Mystic,  and  a  few,  including  Governor  Winthrop 
and  Mr.  Wilson,  settled  at  Shawmut,  and  there  laid  the 
foundations  of  Boston.  Over  a  hundred  persons,  who  had 
become  disheartened,  returned  home  to  England.^ 

The  succeeding  winter  brought  no  amelioration  of  hard- 
ships ;  and  before  spring  was  ushered  in,  "  the  wolf  of 
famine  "  was  prowling  around  nearly  every  door.  The  gov- 
ernor's last  loaf  of  bread  was  in  the  oven,  and  the  pros- 
pect before  all  was  death.  The  6th  of  February  was  appoint- 
ed a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  But  on  the  day  preceding, 
a  bright  omen  appeared.  A  vessel  was  descried  off  Nan- 
tasket,  —  the  "  Lyon,"  —  laden  with  provisions,  and  having 
twenty-six  passengers  on  board.  Gratitude  supplanted  grief, 
and  "  the  fast  was  changed  into  a  thanksgiving,  which  was 
celebrated  throughout  all  the  colony  with  ardent  rejoi- 
cing." 2  Happily  for  the  colonists,  the  Indians  gave  no  real 
cause  for  apprehension.  The  policy  of  the  English  dis- 
posed them  to  peace  rather  than  to  war,  and  won  from 
them  the  most  pleasing  tokens  of  friendship. 

•  Winthrop,  i.  40-44. 

«  Chron.  Mass.,  313.     2  M.  H.  Coll.  iv.  202,  seq.     Winthrop,  i.  448. 

=•  Barry,  i.  19G.     Hubbard,  139. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY  37 

A  visit  to  Plymouth  bj'  Governor  Winthrop  and  others,  in 
the  autumn  of  1G32,  tended  to  unite  the  two  sister  colonies 
in  fidelity  and  love.  Constant  accessions  strens^thened  the 
Massachusetts  colony,  and  gave  promise  of  a  brilliant  future. 
In  1633,  among  the  number  of  those  who  came  over  from 
England  were  John  Haynes,  afterwards  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  still  later  of  Connecticut,  whose  name  is 
worthy  to  be  always  associated  with  that  of  Winthrop ; 
Thomas  Leverett,  a  prominent  layman,  for  many  years 
elder  of  the  church  of  Boston ;  John  Cotton,  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  characters  in  our  history  ;  Thomas  Hooker, 
"  the  light  of  the  western  churches,  and  the  rich  pearl 
which  Europe  gave  to  America,  a  prodigy  of  learning  and 
an  eloquent  orator  ;  "  and  Samuel  Stone,  a  worthy  pastor 
of  the  church  at  Hartford.  It  was  once  a  saying  of  the 
colonists  that  "  the  God  of  heaven  had  supplied  them  with 
what  would  in  some  sort  answer  their  three  great  temporal 
necessities  —  Cotton  for  their  clothing.  Hooker  for  their  fish- 
ing, and  Stone  for  their  building."  ^ 

One  of  our  early  writers  affirms  that  "  it  is  as  unnatural 
for  a  right  New  England  man  to  live  without  an  able  min- 
istry as  for  a  smith  to  work  his  iron  without  a  fire."^  In 
other  words,  it  ought  never  to  be  supposed  that  the  spiritual 
affairs  of  the  colony  were  permitted  to  fall  into  disrepute. 
One  after  another,  in  quick  succession,  religious  societies 
were  formed,  and  churches  were  gathered.  On  the  30th  of 
July,  —  about  three  weeks  after  the  colonists  had  reached 
Charlestown,  —  the  church  at  Boston  was  organized.  The 
church  at  Charlestown  was  gathered  two  weeks  later. 
About  the  same  time,  the  church  at  Watertown  sprang  into 

'  Matlier,  lii.  cli.  xvi.     Young,  in  Chron.  fliass. 
*  Jolmson,  m  2  M.  II.  Coll.,  vn.  40. 


38  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

life ;  as  also  those  at  Lynn,  Roxbuiy,  Dorchester,  and  New- 
town. Before  the  close  of  the  year  1636,  the  Massachu- 
setts colony  could  boast  of  at  least  nine  churches,  all  of 
wliich  were  in  a  well-settled  and  flourishing  condition,  and 
zealous  in  the  propagation  "  of  their  own  system  of  ortho- 
dox faith."  1  Who  can  count  the  changes  that  have  taken 
place  since  that  day,  and  the  sects  which,  springing  out  of 
the  conflicting  elements  of  the  Puritan  intellect,  have  mul- 
tiplied and  increased  ? 

It  has  already  been  remarked  that,  when  the  charter  was 
transferred  from  the  possession  of  the  Massachusetts  Com- 
pany, holding  its  residence  in  London,  into  the  hands  of 
the  Massachusetts  colony,  John  Winthrop  was  unanimously 
chosen  governor  by  the  freemen  of  the  latter.  It  must  not 
for  a  single  moment  be  imagined  that  the  administration 
of  this  most  excellent  man  was  all  sunshine,  nor  that  the 
spirits  of  the  governed  were  all  in  full  accord  with  the 
conduct  and  character  of  the  chief  magistrate.  "  In  the 
management  of  such  a  body  of  men,"  says'  an  historian, 
"  exulting  in  their  escape  from  the  oppressions  of  the  mother 
country,  and  luxuriating  in  the  sense  of  newly-acquired 
freedom,  it  would  not  be  strange  if  some  errors  were  com- 
mitted, or  if  those  prejudices  were  awakened  which  are 
easily  induced  by  conceived  assumptions  of  authority  in 
magistrates,  or  conceived  encroachments  upon  civil  and 
spiritual  rights."  ^ 

Whether  from  some  mistaken  notion,  or  from  some  other 
reason,  certain  of  his  associates  openly  accused  Mr.  Win- 
throp of  desiring  to  perpetuate  "his  incumbency  of  the 
office  he  held  ; "  and,  this  opinion  having  become  quite  uni- 
versal, the  choosing  of  another  governor  was  resolved  upon. 

'  See  Savage  on  Winthrop,  i.  114.  *  Barry,  i.  204. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  39 

In  vain  did  Mr.  Cotton  eulogize  the  virtues  of  his  friend, 
and  seek  to  implant  the  doctrine  that  "  the  right  of  an 
honest  magistrate  to  his  place  was  like  that  of  a  proprietor 
to  his  freehold,  and  that  neither  should  be  removed  unless 
convicted  of  injustice."  A  new  election  was  held  in  1634, 
and  Thomas  Dudley  was  chosen  governor,  and  Roger  Lud- 
low deputy  governor. 

Before  retiring  from  his  office.  Governor  Winthrop  was 
subjected  to  a  mortification  which  his  sensitive  mind  keenly 
felt.  Although  he  stood  high  in  the  hearts  of  his  country- 
men, he  was  not  allowed  to  withdraw  into  private  life  with- 
out being  annoyed  by  the  petty  jealousies  of  his  rivals.  A 
false  imputation  was  placed  upon  his  honesty,  and  he  was 
called  upon  to  give  an  account  of  the  receipts  and  disburse- 
ments during  his  administration.  In  vindication  of  his  char- 
acter, he  made  an  open  and  frank  reply.  "  In  all  these 
things,"  he  said,  "I  refer  myself  to  the  wisdom  and  jus- 
tice of  the  court,  with  this  protestation  —  that  it  repenteth 
me  not  of  my  cost  or  labor  bestowed  in  the  service  of  this 
commonwealth,  but  do  heartily  bless  the  Lord  our  God 
that  he  hath  been  pleased  to  honor  me  so  far  as  to  call  for 
anything  he  hath  bestowed  upon  me,  for  the  service  of  his 
church  and  people  here,  the  prosperity  whereof,  and  his 
gracious  acceptance,  shall  be  an  abundant  recompense  to  me. 
I  conclude  with  this  one  request,  which  in  justice  may  not 
be  denied  me  —  that,  as  it  stands  upon  record  that  upon 
the  discharge  of  my  office  I  was  called  to  account,  so  this 
my  declaration  may  be  recorded  also,  lest  hereafter,  when 
I  sliall  be  forgotten,  some  blemish  may  lie  upon  my  pos- 
terity, when  there  shall  be  nothing  to  clear  it."  ^ 

Notwithstanding   that  very   many  were    earnest   to   raise 

'  Winthrop,  Hist.,  i.  47G. 


40  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Mr.  Dudley  to  office,  his  popularity  did  not  permit  him  to 
hold  it  longer  than  one  year  ;  when  John  Haynes,  who  had 
served  as  one  of  his  assistants,  was  appointed  governor,  and 
Richard  Bellingham  deputy  governor.  During  this  admin- 
istration over  three  thousand  emigrants  left  England,  and 
came  over  and  settled  in  the  colony.  There  were  not  a  few 
distinguished  men  among  them,  including  Ricliard  Mather, 
long  the  minister  of  the  church  at  Dorchester ;  Anthony 
Thatcher,  a  writer  of  repute ;  Hugh  Peters,  afterwards  the 
counsellor  of  Oliver  Cromwell ;  and  Thomas  Shepard,  the 
worthy  pastor  of  the  first  church  in  Cambridge.  Not  one 
of  the  preceding  names,  however,  possessed  the  eminence, 
at  the  time,  of  that  of  Sir  Henry  Vane,  "  a  young  gentle- 
man of  excellent  parts,"  who  freely  relinquished  the  gaye- 
ties  and  splendors  of  a  brilliant  court,  and,  attaching  him- 
self to  Puritanism,  came  to  New  England  "  to  enjoy  the 
ordinances  of  Christ  in  their  purity."  ^ 

Although  scarcely  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  was,  even 
in  youth,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  characters  that  the 
Old  World  gave  .to  the  New.  The  son  of  a  secretary  of 
state,  he  was  destined  to  play  one  of  the  first  parts  in  the 
coming  revolution,  while  his  arrival  in  Massachusetts  seemed 
to  herald  the  coming  of  the  very  heads  of  the  Puritan 
movement.  The  excellence  of  his  genius  won  for  him  the 
majestic  encomiums  of  Milton.  "  If  he  were  not  superior 
to  Hampden,"  wrote  Lord  Clarendon,  "  he  was  inferior  to 
no  other  man ;  his  whole  life  made  good  the  imagination 
that  there  was  in  him  something  extraordinary."  ^ 

Sir  Henry  arrived  at  a  time  when  the  freemen  were  pre- 
paring for  a  new  election.     Flattered  by  the  thought  that 

'  Neal,  N.  Eng.  Hist.,  i.  14-t.     Hutchinson,  i.  G5 
*  Hist.  liebellion,  i.  180-188. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  41 

so  brilliant  a  personage  should  have  condescenclecl  to  join 
their  ranks,  and  blind  to  the  fact  that  he  lacked  both  years 
and  experience,  they  unwisely  chose  hira  governor.  This 
was  in  IGoG,  at  a  time  when  it  had  become  "  the  theme 
of  wonder  and  admiration  with  them  all  that  such  a  man, 
so  fitted  by  his  talents  and  position  to  sway  the  destinies 
of  men  in  courts  and  palaces,  should  choose  the  better  part 
wath  the  remote  and  unfriended  exiles  of  the  obscure  wil- 
derness of  Massachusetts."  ^  Sudden  outbursts  of  popular 
fervor  always  come  to  a  speedy  end,  and  errors  of  impru- 
dence are  more  keenly  felt  by  those  who  have  allowed 
themselves  to  become  their  victims.  In  reality.  Vane  came 
only  as  "  a  sojourner,  and  not  as  a  permanent  resident ; 
neither  was  he  imbued  with  the  colonial  prejudices,  the 
genius  of  the  place  ;  and  his  clear  mind,  unbiassed  by  previ- 
ous discussions,  and  fresh  from  the  public  business  of  Eng- 
land, saw  distinctly  what  the  colonists  did  not  wish  to  see 
—  the  really  wide  difference  between  their  practice  under 
their  charter  and  the  meaning  of  that  instrument  on  the 
principles  of  English  jurisprudence."  ^ 

Political  factious  were  already  creating  a  disturbance,  and 
party  strife  was  dissevering  the  bonds  of  reason  and  justice. 
On  the  very  day  when  Vane  was  ushered  into  office,  oppo- 
sition began  to  set  face  against  him ;  and  from  this  time 
onward  it  did  not  cease  to  embarrass  his  government  at 
every  step.  The  first  open  manifestation  of  this  intense  feel- 
ing was  occasioned  by  a  very  trivial  incident,  which  must 
here  be  related. 

Two  years  before,  Mr.  Endicott  had  cut  the  red  cross 
from  the  flag  at  Salem,  as  a  "  relic  of  Popery  insufferable 
ill  a  Puritan  community."  ^     This  proceeding  w^as  censured 

•  Foster's  Statesmen  of  the  Conim.,  2G8.  '  Winthrop,  i.  175,  scq. 

*  Bancroft,  i,  384. 


42  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

as  both  "  rash  and  uncharitable ;  "  but  shortly  afterwards 
the  same  judges  declared  the  use  of  a  cross  in  an  ensign 
to  be  unlawful,  and  proposed  to  change  it  to  the  "  red  and 
white  rose."  When,  three  months  later,  the  ship  "St.  Pat- 
rick," belonging  to  Sir  Thomas  Wentworth,  afterwards  Earl 
of  Strafford,  approached  Castle  Island,  her  commander  was 
ordered  to  strike  her  flag.  He  obeyed,  and  then  complained 
of  the  order  as  "  a  great  injury."  Next,  the  ship  "  Hec- 
tor"  sailed  into  the  harbor;  and  one  of  her  mates,  finding 
the  king's  colors  not  displayed  on  the  fort,  denounced  the 
colonists  as  "  traitors  and  rebels."  This  affair  caused  such 
a  commotion  that  Governor  Vane  felt  it  to  be  his  duty 
to  seek  advice.  A  consultation  was  held  Avith  "  the  min- 
isters," to  whom  Governor  Vane  expressed  his  determina- 
tion to  display  the  king's  colors  on  the  fort.  Although 
Mr.  Winthrop  strongly  protested  against  it,  the  resolve 
was  immediately  put  into  execution.  Not  a  suit  of  unmu- 
tilated  colors  could  be  found  in  the  colony  ;  and  the  magis- 
trates were,  accordingly,  forced  to  accept  the  loan  of  the 
suits  of  two  ship  captains,  —  and  this  even  when  "  fully 
persuaded  that  the  use  of  a  cross  in  an  ensign  was  idola- 
trous." 

There  was  still  another  cause  which  inflamed  opposition 
to  the  administration  of  Governor  Vane.  Of  the  number 
of  those  who  had  come  over  to  America,  in  the  emigration 
of  1634,  was  Anne  Hutchinson,  the  wife  of  William  Hutch- 
inson, of  Lincolnshire,  "  a  woman  of  a  ready  wit  and  a 
bold  spirit."  ^  Such  was  her  admirable  understanding,  that 
even  her  enemies  could  never  speak  of  her  without  acknowl- 
edging her  eloquence  and  ability.  Soon  after  her  arrival 
she  became  a  member   of   the  Boston   church,  and,  finding 

'  Winthrop,  i.  239. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  43 

that  women  were  debarred  from  speaking  in  the  religious 
meetings  of  the  week,  and  believing  that  "  the  elder  wo- 
men "  should  "  teach  the  3'ounger,"  she  "  established  sepa- 
rate female  assemblies,  of  which  she  was  the  leader,  and 
in  which  her  didactic  powers  and  her  gifts  in  devotional 
performances  were  conspicuously  exercised."  ^  These  gath- 
erings embraced  many  foremost  members  of  the  sex,  and 
became  immensely  popular.  The  discussions  were  wholly 
based  upon  religious  themes ;  and  much  ability  was  dis- 
played in  the  expounding  of  passages  of  Scripture,  and  the 
resolution  of  questions  of  doctrine.  In  thought  and  feeling 
they  were  "mothers'  meetings"  of  a  genuine  order. 

]\Irs.  Hutchinson  received  encouragement  not  from  her 
female  associates  alone.  John  Wheelwright,  who  had  mar- 
ried her  husband's  sister,  publicly  advocated  her  opinions  ; 
and  even  Mr.  Cotton  and  Governor  Vane  openly  avowed 
themselves  her  firm  supporters.  This  opened  the  eyes  of 
the  people  at  large,  of  whom  hundreds  soon  began  to  re- 
gard her  with  great  admiration.  The  majority  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Boston  church  were  so  "  tinctured  with  her 
views,"  that  Mr.  Wheelwright  was  "  called  to  be  a  teacher 
there ;  "  but  the  eloquence  of  Mr.  Winthrop  defeated  this 
proposal,  and  Mr.  Wheelwright  was,  instead,  "  called  to  a 
new  church,  to  be  gathered  at  Mount  Wollaston,"  now 
Braintree.  ^ 

Meanwhile  the  popularity  of  INIrs.  Hutchinson  increased 
to  such  an  extent,  and  the  opposition  of  some  of  the  clergy 
became  so  formidable,  that  a  theological  warfare  burst  out 
in  many  of  the  churches.  Contrary  to  the  teachings  of  the 
ministers,  Mrs.  Hutchinson  maintained  that  "  outward  signs- 
of  discipleship  might  be  displayed  by  a  hypocrite,  and  hence 

>  Barry,  i.  245.  «  Winthrop,  i.  241.     Hubbard,  286,  seq. 


44  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

that  the  '  sanctification  '  which  embraced  these  signs  was 
not  infallible  evidence  of  'justification,'  or  true  Christian 
discipleship.  The  clergy,  also,  who  were  believers  in  the 
personality  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  denied,  for  the  most  part, 
his  union  with  the  regenerate  in  any  sense ;  but  Mrs. 
Hutchinson,  understanding  this  phrase  to  include  an  embodi- 
ment of  spiritual  graces  or  gifts,  maintained  that  in  the 
true  Christian  these  graces  and  the  Spirit  had  their  abode  ; 
or,  in  the  language  of  her  accusers,  that  there  was  an 
'  indwelling  of  the  person  of  the  Holy  Ghost '  in  the  heart 
of  the  true  believer,  '  so  as  to  amount  to  a  personal  union ' 
—  a  doctrine  which,  in  their  estimation,  made  '  the  believer 
more  than  a  creature,'  and  which  some  censured  as  rank 
'  Montanism.' "  1 

The  magistrates  and  ministers  now  resolved  to  prosecute 
Mrs.  Hutchinson  as  a  heretic,  and  a  long  and  tedious 
wrangle  ensued.  At  length  the  opposers  of  Mrs.  Hutchin- 
son proved  stronger  than  her  friends,  and  by  the  former 
every  effort  was  put  forth  to  suppress  "  the  Hutchinsoniau 
heresy."  An  order  was  passed  prohibiting  the  admission 
of  strangers  into  the  colony  without  permission.  Fierce 
speeches  were  made.  Mr.  Wilson,  the  pastor  of  the  Boston 
church,  harangued  the  multitude  from  a  tree,  into  which 
he  had  climbed.  In  the  midst  of  the  excitement.  Vane 
was  turned  out  of  the  government,  and  in  August,  1637, 
returned  to  England.^ 

On  the  30th  of  the  same  month  a  synod  met  at  Newtown, 
at  which  were  present  "all  the  teaching  elders  throughout 
the  country,  and  some  new  come  out  of  England."  ^  This 
was  the  first  inquisitorial  council  ever  convened  in  Massa- 

'  Barry,  i.  248.  3  Johnson,  In  2  M.  H.  Coll.,  iv.  34. 

*  Autlioritics,  %t  supra-. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS   COLONY.  45 

chusetts  ;  and  it   Imd  for  its  main  purpose  the  condemnation 
of  heres}-  and  the  settlement  of  the  faith  of  all  future  genera- 
tions.    It  is  unnecessar}^  to  record  the  full  proceedings  of  this 
synod,  which  opened  with  the  "  emptying  of  private  passions," 
and  closed  in  full  harmony  and  understanding.     During  its 
session   the  public  meetings  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson  were  con- 
demned, and   certain   questions   of  church  discipline   were, 
"  through  the  grace  and  power  of  Christ,  discovered,    the 
defenders  of  them  convinced  and  ashamed,  the  truth  estab- 
lished, and  the  consciences  of  the  saints,  settled,  there  being 
a  most  wonderful  presence  of  Christ's  spirit  in  that  assembly 
held  at  Cambridge."  ^     A  three  weeks'  session  having  termi- 
nated "  comfortably  and   cheerfully,"  the   followers  of  "  un- 
lawful heresy  "  ceased  to  be  formidable.     At  the  next  meet- 
ing of  the  General  Court,  however,  it  was  "  agreed  to  send 
away  some  of  the  principal  "   offenders.     Mr.  Wheelwright, 
who  was  accused  of  being  as  "  busy  in  nourishing  contentions 
as  before,"  was  banished  from  Massachusetts.     Attended  by 
a  few  faithful  followers,  he  journeyed  to  New  Hampshire,  and 
laid  the  foundations  of  Exeter.^     Mr.  Cotton  returned  to  the 
"bosom   of  the  church,  never   more   to   depart."     The  last 
victim  remained  to  be  punished,  and  this  was  Mrs.  Hutchin- 
son herself.     She,  ''being  convented,"  says  the  record,  "for 
traducing  the  ministers  and  their  ministry  in  the  country, 
was  thereupon  banished,  and  in  the  mean  while  was  commit- 
ted to  Mr.  Joseph  Welde,  of  Roxbury,  until  the  court  shall 
dispose  of  her."  3     Mr.  Cotton  himself,  now  "  fully  satisfied 
that  he  had  been  made  her  stalking-horse,"  and  being  urged 

'  Shepard,  in  McKcnzie,  First  Cliurch  in  Canib.,  57. 

*  Wintlirop,  i.  338 :  "  Upon  the  acknowledgment  of  his  evil  carriacjes,  he 
was  received  again  as  a  member  of  this  colony,"  says  Muss.  Records, 
iii,  G. 

=•  Mass.  Records,  i.  207-226. 


46  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

to  do  so,  "  pronounced  the  sentence  of  admonition  mth 
great  solemnity,  and  with  much  zeal  and  detestation  of  her 
errors  and  pride  of  spirit." 

This  was  the  iinkindest  cut  of  all.  The  "  American 
Jezebel,"  worried  by  her  tormentors,  and  excommunicated  in 
due  form,  followed  her  husband  to  Narragansett.  From  the 
island  of  Aquidneck,  the  ill-fated  woman,  now  left  a  widow, 
removed,  in  1642,  into  the  territory  of  the  Dutch,  where,  in 
the  following  j^ear,  she,  her  son-in-law,  and  all  their  family, 
save  one  child,  perished  by  the  rude  weapons  of  Indian 
savages.  Thus  her  stormy  life  found  a  stormy  close ;  and 
so  ended  also  the  Antinomian  strife  in  Massachusetts.  "  The 
principles  of  Anne  Hutchinson,"  says  Bancroft,  "  were  a 
natural  consequence  of  the  progress  of  the  reformation. 
She  had  imbibed  them  in  Europe  ;  and  it  is  a  singular  fact, 
though  easy  of  explanation,  that,  in  the  very  year  in  which 
she  was  arraigned  at  Boston,  Descartes,  like  herself  a  refugee 
from  his  country,  like  herself  a  prophetic  harbinger  of 
the  spirit  of  the  coming  age,  established  philosoi^hic  liberty 
on  the  method  of  free  reflection.  Both  asserted  that  the 
conscious  judgment  of  the  mind  is  the  highest  authority  to 
itself.  Descartes  did  but  promulgate,  under  the  philosophic 
form  of  free  reflection,  the  same  truth  which  Anne  Hutchin- 
son, with  the  fanaticism  of  impassioned  conviction,  avowed 
under  the  form  of  inward  revelations."  ^ 

Before  the  controversy  with  Mrs.  Hutchinson  had  ended, 
the  religious  strife,  disturbing  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the 
colonists,  was  still  further  increased  by  the  arrival  at  Boston, 
in  1636,  of  Samuel  Gorton.  This  man,  a  citizen  of  London, 
was  branded,  at  the  time,  as  "  a  proud  and  pestilent  seducer, 
laden  with  blasphemies  and  familistical  opinions."     He  left 

'  Hist.  U.  S.,  i.  391. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  47 

Boston  after  a  short  season,  and  settled  at  Plymouth  ;  but  lie 
spent  the  most  of  his  time  in  Rhode  Island,  where,  sa3's  a 
writer,  "  he  was  almost  constantly  in  office ;  and  during  a 
long  life  there  is  no  instance  of  record  of  any  reproach  or 
censure  cast  upon  him."  ^ 

While  living  at  Plymouth,  however,  he  fell  into  a  dispute 
with  both  the  ministers  and  the  magistrates,  and  was  not  only 
sentenced  to  pay  a  heavy  fine,  but  was  even  ordered  to  leave 
the  place  within  fourteen  days.  In  the  "  extremity  of 
winter,"  1638,  he  departed  for  Rhode  Island,  where  he  was 
again  punished  for  misconduct.  At  length  he  found  shelter 
under  the  roof  of  Roger  Williams,  and  behaved  himself  so 
ungraciously,  that  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  Providence, 
"  fearful  that  Gorton  would  expel  them  from  their  posses- 
sions," requested  the  interference  of  the  magistrates  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Without  delay,  the  colonial  authorities  assumed 
jurisdiction  over  the  settlement.  But  Gorton,  who  was  wont 
to  say  that  "  heaven  was  not  a  place  ;  there  was  no  heaven 
but  in  the  hearts  of  good  men,  no  hell  but  in  the  mind,"  ^ 
was  as  insubordinate  as  ever  before  ;  and,  having  purchased 
of  Miantonomo  a  parcel  of  land  at  Shawomet,  now  Warwick, 
he,  with  eleven  associates,  removed  thither.  Another  diffi- 
culty arose,  and  Massachusetts  issued  a  warrant  requiring 
the  appearance  of  the  inhabitants  of  Shawomet  at  Boston. 
To  this  a  reply  was  transmitted :  "  If  you  put  forth  your 
hand  to  us  as  countrymen,  ours  are  in  readiness  for  you ;  if 
your  sword  be  drawn,  ours  is  girt  upon  our  thigh  ;  if  you 
present  a  gun,  make  haste  to  give  the  first  fire,  for  we  are 
come  to  put  fire  upon  the  earth,  and  it  is  our  desire  to  have 
it  speedily  kindled."  ^     A  second  warrant  was  issued,  and 

'  Savage  on  Winthrop,  ii.  70,  seq.     Hubbard,  ch.  47. 

*  Bancroft,  i.  419.  ^  3  M.  II.  Coll.,  i.  5-15. 


48  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

troops  were  sent  to  enforce  it.  In  quick  haste  Gorton  and 
his  friends  were  arrested,  marched  through  the  streets  of 
Boston,  and  at  the  next  court  the  leader  himself  was  con- 
demned as  a  blasphemer.  The  whole  party  "  were  confined 
with  irons  upon  their  legs,  kept  at  work  for  their  living, 
and  their  cattle  and  goods  were  taken  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  court."  ^  The  men  were  released  in  the  spring  of 
1643,  because,  as  it  appears,  the  people  were  murmuring  at 
the  severity  of  their  rulers,  and  shortly  afterwards  returned 
to  Shawomet,  and  there  lived  out  their  lives  without  further 
molestation.  Gorton  and  his  partisans  were,  confessedly, 
advocates  for  liberty  of  conscience,  and  avowed  enemies  to 
colonial  independence.  The  conduct  of  Massachusetts  in 
this  whole  affair  was  not  only  impolitic,  but  equally  unjust ; 
and  it  can  only  be  accounted  for  on  the  ground  that  the 
magistrates  were  betrayed  into  a  stretch  of  authority  by  their 
zeal  for  the  suppression  of  heresy. 

The  contest  of  1637  ended  in  the  re-election  of  Mr.  AVin- 
throp  as  governor,  and  of  Mr,  Dudley  deputy  governor. 
With  the  exception  of  four  years,  —  Mr.  Dudley  was  governor 
in  1640  and  1645,  Mr.  BelHngham  in  1641,  and  Mr.  John 
Endicott  in  1644,  —  Mr.  Winthrop  continued  in  office  until 
his  death,  in  1649.  His  administration  was  not  only  a 
complete  triumph  for  himself,  but  was  also  one  of  great 
prosperity  for  the  colony.  Scarcely  a  week  passed  without 
witnessing  the  arrival  of  new  emigrants,  and  the  progress 
of  settlement  was  proportionally  rapid,  Hingham  was 
settled  in  1634.  Concord,  Newbury,  and  Dedham  were 
incorporated  in  the  following  year.  Between  this  date 
and  1643,  the  towns  of  Salisbury,  Lynn,  North  Chelsea, 
Rowley,    Sudbury,    Braintree,  Woburn,   Gloucester,  Haver- 

'  Barry,  i.  265. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  49 

hill,  "Wenliam,  and  Hull  were  incorporated.  Springfield  was 
made  a  town  in  1636.  In  1643,  four  counties  were  erected  — 
Suffolk,  Essex,  Middlesex,  and  Old  Norfolk,  together  com- 
prising just  thirty  towns.^ 

One  of  the  results  of  the  intercourse  between  the  Plym- 
outh colonists  and  the  Dutch  was  the  discovery  of  the 
Connecticut  River.  The  region  lying  along  its  banks  was 
marvellousl}^  fertile,  and  was  generally  recommended  as 
a  "  fine  place  for  habitation  and  trade."  In  the  year  1633 
both  the  English  and  the  Dutch  laid  claims  to  this  newly- 
discovered  country,  the  former  by  virtue  of  their  patent, 
the  latter  b}^  right  of  occupation.  A  controversy  arose, 
in  which  the  Dutch  were  victorious.  In  1635  certain  of 
the  Massachusetts  colonists,  "  straitened  for  want  of  room," 
removed  from  Dorchester  to  Mattaneag,  now  Windsor,  where 
the  Plymouth  people  had  erected  a  trading-house.  In  the 
following  spring  several  residents  of  Newtown,  including 
Mr.  Hooker  and  Mr.  Haynes,  and  numbering  one  hun- 
dred in  all,  set  out  for  Connecticut.  Pursuing  their  wa}'^ 
"  over  mountain-top,  and  hill,  and  stream,  through  tangled 
woods  and  dismal  swamps,  it  was  a  fortnight  before  they 
reached  their  haven  of  rest." 

During  the  summer.  Captain  Stone,  Captain  Norton,  and 
John  Oldham  fell  victims  to  the  rapacity  of  the  Pequots. 
This  formidable  tribe  peopled  the  region  lying  between 
the  Mystic  and  the  Thames,  and  was  able  to  muster  no 
less  than  seven  hundred  warriors.  The  English  demanded 
reparation  for  the  murders  which  had  been  committed,  and 
threatened  to  declare  war  if  the  request  were  unheeded. 
The  Indians  refused  the  demand,  and  secreted  themselves 
at  Block  Island.     An  expedition,  embracing  between  eighty 

'  Mass.  Eecords,  ii.  38. 


50  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  ninety  men,  under  the  command  of  Endicott,  departed 
from  the  colony  in  the  autumn  of  1636,  and  proceeded  rapidly 
into  the  land  of  the  enemy,  bearing  a  commission  to  "  put 
to  death  the  men  of  Block  Island,  but  to  spare  the  women 
and  children;  and  from  thence  to  go  to  the  Pequots  to 
demand  the  murderers  of  Captain  Stone  and  other  English, 
and  one  thousand  fathoms  of  wampum  for  damages,  and  some 
of  their  children  as  hostages,  which  if  they  should  refuse,  they 
were  to  obtain  it  by  force."  ^  The  party  landed  at  Block 
Island,  revelled  for  two  days  in  scenes  of  devastation,  and 
then  sailed  for  Saybrook,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut. 

Here  Endicott  received  a  fresh  supply  of  boats  and  men 
from  the  commander  of  the  fort  at  Saybrook,  and,  again 
setting  out,  the  party  entered  the  Pequot  River,  now  the 
Thames,  and  held  a  parley  with  the  savages.  This,  how- 
ever, amounted  to  nothing  ;  and  so,  after  having  committed 
further  devastation,  the  troops,  flushed  with  success,  returned 
home  to  Boston. 

Ere  long  the  rumor  was  spread  abroad  that  the  Pequots 
were  seeking  to  induce  the  Narragansetts  to  unite  with  them 
in  exterminating  the  English.  To  Roger  Williams,  who 
alone  exerted  any  influence  among  the  Narragansetts,  the 
colonists  now  looked  for  assistance.  Only  a  little  while 
before,  Williams  had  been  unjustly  expelled  from  the  colony, 
simply  because  he  had  evolved  "  from  the  alembic  of  his 
own  soul  the  sublime  principle  of  liberty  of  conscience," 
and  had  dared  to  affirm  that  "  the  ecclesiastical  should  be 
wholly  divorced  from  the  civil  power,  and  that  the  church 
and  the  magistracy  should  each  be  confined  to  its  appro- 
priate sphere."  Endless  difficulties  conspired  to  render 
his  presence   obnoxious,  and   his  teachings  "  erroneous  and 

'  Winthrop,  i.  229. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  51 

dangerous "  to  his  "  associates  in  the  church  of  Christ." 
lieing  constantly  persecuted  both  by  the  church  and  the 
state,  and  arraigned  on  a  charge  of  sedition,  he  was  brought 
to  trial,  and  sentenced  "  to  depart  out  of  our  jurisdiction 
within  six  weeks,  all  the  ministers,  save  one,  approving' 
the  sentence."  ^  Leaving  Salem  in  the  winter  of  1G35,  the 
magnanimous  exile  turned  his  steps  towards  the  shores  of 
the  Narragansett  Bay.  "Moving  to  the  other  side  of  the 
water,"  he,  with  five  others,  laid  the  foundations  of  Provi- 
dence. On  his  first  arrival  he  secured  the  friendship  of  the 
Narragansetts,  whose  sachem,  Canonicus,  "  loved  him  as  his 
son  to  the  last  gasp."  The  chiefs  gave  him  lands  on  which 
to  build  his  colony,  while  he,  in  turn,  again  gave  away 
to  his  friends  "  until  he  gave  away  all."  ^ 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  Roger  Williams  was  the  victim 
of  one  of  the  most  blind-guided  persecutions  that  has  ever 
raged  within  the  borders  of  this  state.  Still  it  ought  to 
be  remembered  that  his  sentence  of  banishment  was  not 
passed  without  reluctance.  When  Governor  Winthrop  was 
urged  to  sign  the  order,  he  replied,  "  I  have  done  enough  of 
that  work  already,"  and  to  the  very  day  of  his  death  sought 
to  have  the  cruel  sentence  revoked.  It  is  not  a  little 
remarkable  that  nearly  all  of  those  who  were  foremost  in 
procuring  the  banishment  of  Mr.  Williams  lived  long  enough 
to  repent  of  the  ignominious  transaction.  And  behold  the 
magnanimity  of  the  founder  of  Rhode  Island !  Fearless 
in  his  attacks  on  the  spirit  of  intolerance,  the  doctrine  of 
persecution,  he  never  permitted  himself  to  traduce  either 
his  oppressors  or  the  colony  of  Massachusetts.   ' "  I  did  ever 

'  Winthrop,  i.  204. 

"  Backus,  i.  290.     One  of  the  most  eloquent  tributes  ever  paid  to  this  noble- 
uiinded  man  is  tliat  of  Bancroft,  U.  S.,  i.  3G7-382. 


52  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

from  my  soul  honor  and  love  them,  even  when  their  judg- 
ment led  them  to  afflict  me,"  are  his  own  words.^  It  is 
not  strange,  indeed,  that  "many  hearts  were  touched  with 
relentings." 

To  such  a  man  it  was  that  the  colonists,  in  their  sore 
distress,  had  the  face  to  turn  for  assistance.  Nor  was  their 
entreaty  vain.  Having  received  letters  from  Vane  and 
the  council  of  Massachusetts  urging  him  to  prevent  the 
league,  Roger  Williams,  "  putting  his  life  in  his  hands," 
embarked  in  a  frail  canoe,  and  hastened  to  the  house  of 
the  sachem  of  the  Narragansetts.  Already  the  Pequot  am- 
bassadors had  arrived  before  him,  and  were  skilfully  ply- 
ing arguments  in  their  own  behalf.  For  three  days  and 
nights  the  conference  continued.  But  the  eloquence  of 
Williams  finally  prevailed,  and,  a  few  days  later,  Mian- 
tonomo  and  two  sons  of  Canonicus  repaired  to  Boston,  and 
there  signed  a  treaty  of  peace  and  alliance. 

The  Pequots,  having  thus  been  foiled  in  their  negotia- 
tions, "  set  out  upon  a  course  of  greater  insolence  than  be- 
fore, and  slew  all  they  found  in  the  way."  Not  a  day  passed 
which  did  not  bear  witness  to  some  new  tragedy,  and  the 
most  heartless  cruelties  were  perpetrated.  Roused  to  im- 
mediate action,  a  court  was  convened  at  •  Hartford,  and  war 
was  decreed.  Ninety  men  were  mustered  into  service,  and 
placed  under  the  command  of  Captain  John  Mason,  who 
had  fought  under  Sir  Thomas  Fairfax  in  the  Netherlands. 
Uncas,  sachem  of  the  Mohegans,  with  about  eighty  war- 
riors, joined  with  the  English  as  an  ally. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1637,  Captain  Mason,  with  his  little 
force,  encamped  "  near  a  swamp,  between  two  hills,  on  land 
now  in  Groton,  about  two  miles   from  Fort  Mystic,  where 

'  Savage  on  Winthrop. 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  COLONY.  53 

the  Pequots  had  assembled  to  hold  their  festival,  aided 
by  the  light  of  a  brilliant  moon."  Before  daybreak  an 
attack  was  made  upon  the  fort.  Captain  Mason  advanced 
upon  one  entrance,  and  Captain  Underbill  upon  the  other. 
An  Indian  sentinel,  awakened  by  the  barking  of  a  dog, 
spread  the  alarm,  and  at  once  a  fierce  encounter  ensued. 
The  savages  outnumbered  their  assailants  nearly  four  to 
one,  and,  fighting  hand  to  hand,  victory  was  tardy.  "We 
must  burn  them !  "  shouted  Mason  ;  and  at  the  word  a 
brand  was  seized,  and  the  wigwams  were  fired.  With 
terrific  speed  the  flames  rolled  on.  The  carnage  was  com- 
plete. In  about  an  hour  the  frightful  work  was  ended, 
and  the  rising  sun  bore  witness  of  a  triumph.  Nearly 
six  hundred  Indians,  men,  women,  and  children,  perished 
in  this  scene.  The  flower  of  the  tribe  was  gone.  Although 
the  gallant  Mason  was  forced  to  encounter  three  hundred 
or  more  Pequots,  as  they  proudly  advanced  from  their 
second  fort,  he  succeeded  in  routing  them  also,  and  making 
good  his  escape  to  Hartford.  • 

A  few  days  later,  the  Massachusetts  troops,  commanded 
by  Captain  Israel  Stoughton,  of  Dorchester,  arrived,  and 
united  with  Captain  jNIason.  The  main  body  of  the  fugitive 
Pequots  was  purs\ied  into  a  swamp ;  their  wigwams  were 
burned,  and  Sassacus,  their  sachem,  was  murdered.  Re- 
duced to  utter  want,  those  who  survived  —  about  two  hun- 
dred in  all  —  surrendered  to  the  English,  by  whom  they 
were  distributed  among  the  other  tribes.  On  the  return 
of  the  troops,  a  day  of  thanksgiving  was  ordered  to  be 
observed,  in  which  all  the  towns  participated.  Thus  ended 
the  first  Indian  war  in  New  England.  Its  best  result  was, 
that  it  struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  savages,  and 
secured  a  long  peace. 


54  HISTORY  OF  MAS'SACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    III. 
THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE  COLONIES. 

A  STUDY  of  the  civil  policy  of  the  Massachusetts  colony 
reveals  the  fact  that  sturdy  and  rigid  Puritanism  lay  at 
the  basis  of  all  legislation.  The  people  themselves  placed 
greater  faith  in  the  five  points  of  Calvinism  than  in  the 
five  points  of  a  well-founded  government  —  an  hereditary 
monarchy,  an  established  church,  an  order  of  nobility,  a 
standing  army,  and  a  military  police.  Upon  all  occasions, 
and  under  all  circumstances,  they  subordinated  the  govern- 
ment to  the  church,  and  believed  that  no  sort  of  govern- 
ment was  admissible  which  was  not  so  shaped  as  to  secure 
the  life  and  welfare  of  the  church.  "  When  a  common- 
wealth," they  affirmed,  "  hath  liberty  to  mould  his  own 
frame,  the  Scripture  hath  given  full  direction  for  the  order- 
ing of  the  same,  and  that  in  such  sort  as  may  best  main- 
tain the  euexia  of  the  church."  And  again :  "  Better  the 
commonwealth  be  fashioned  to  the  setting  forth  of  God's 
house,  which  is  his  church,  than  to  accommodate  the  church 
frame  to  the  civil  estate."  ^  It  is  always  well  to  bear  this 
truth  in  mind,  when  one  is  disposed  to  censure  and  explain 
the  actions  of  our  forefathers. 

The  colonists  possessed  many  invaluable  rights,  of  which 
the  charter  of  Charles  I.  was  the  cherished  palladium. 
The}''  held  their  lands  as  their  own  possessions,  and  forbade 

'  Hutchinson,  Coll.,  27,  437.  * 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE   COLONIES.  55 

strangers  planting  "  at  any  j^lace  within  the  limits  of  the 
patent  without  leave  from  the  governor  and  assistants,  or 
the  major  part  of  them."  We  have  already  seen  in  what 
manner  they  dealt  with  those  persons  whose  religious  views 
they  considered  "  dangerous."  "  If  we  be  here  a  corpora- 
tion," they  maintained,  "  established  by  free  consent,  if  the 
place  of  our  cohabitation  be  our  own,  then  no  man  hath 
right  to  come  in  to  us  without  our  consent."  When  Vane 
became  governor,  he  opposed  this  spirit  of  limitation ;  but 
Winthrop's  reply  prevailed.  ''  The  intent  of  the  law,"  said 
he,  "is  to  preserve  the  welfare  of  the  body,  and,  for  this 
end,  to  have  none  received  into  any  fellowship  with  us 
who  are  likely  to  disturb  the  same  ;  and  this  intent,  I  am 
sure,  is  lawful  and  good."  ^ 

In  1631  it  was  ordered  that  "  no  man  shall  be  admitted 
to  the  freedom  of  this  body  politic  but  such  as  are  members 
of  some  of  the  churches  of  the  same.""  A  most  arbitrary 
law  was  this ;  for  in  no  way  can  piety  be  promoted  at 
the  jeopardy  of  freedom  and  of  justice.  The  purpose  of 
its  makers  was  evidently  to  build  up  a  Puritan  community 
on  as  exclusive  a  foundation  as  was  that  of  the  English 
Church  during  the  reign  of  King  James.  It  was  as  much 
a  political  regulation  as  it  was  a  sectarian  scruple.  Such  a 
policy  was,  unquestionably,  a  great  mistake.  As  a  writer 
has  well  said,  "It  vested  undue  power  in  the  clergy  and 
the  church.  It  established  a  practical  oligarchy  of  select 
religious  votaries.  It  debarred  from  the  exercise  of  the 
elective  franchise  all,  however  honest,  who  were  unwilling 
to  conform  to  the  standard  of  colonial  orthodoxy.  But  at 
the  same  time,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  a  different  policy 
could    have    been    safely   adopted   without    subjecting    the 

•  Ilutohinson.  Coll.,  G7-100. 


56  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

colonists  to  what  they  would  have  regarded  as  the  greatest 
of  all  evils — the  intrusion  of  a  body  of  men  inimical  to 
their  views,  whose  aim  would  have  been  to  subvert  their 
churcli  and  destroy  their  government."  ^ 

In  lGo4  another  order  was  framed,  compelling  every  male 
resident,  twenty  years  old  and  upwards,  not  a  freeman, 
to  acknowledge,  under  oath,  liis  subjection  to  the  colonial 
government,  and  to  promise  obedience  to  tlic  same.  These 
three  enactments  thus  secured  "  the  alhsgiance  of  all  not 
entitled  to  the  immunities  of  citizenship." 

By  the  terms  of  the  colonial  charter,  the  principal  officers 
were  to  be  chosen  directly  by  the  freemen.  So  soon  as  a 
settlement  was  formed,  it  was  ruled  that  the  governor  and 
deputy  should  be  chosen  by  tlie  assistants  from  among 
themselves,  and  these  assistants  l)y  tlie  freemen.  In  tho 
following  year,  liowcvcr,  it  became  lawful  for  tho  "  com- 
mons "  to  propose  the  names  of  such  persons  as  they  wished 
slioiild  be  chosen  as  assistants ;  and  shoitly  afterwards  it 
was  agreed  that  all  officers  should  be  "  chosen  anew  every 
year  by  the  whole  court."  'J'he  substitution  of  delegates  to 
represent  tho  freemen  was  an  early  proceeding,  and  in 
1082  "  every  town  chose  two  men  to  be  at  the  next  court, 
to  advise;  willi  tho  governor  and  assistants  about  tin;  raising 
of  a  i(iil)li(!  stock,  so  as  what  <h(!y  should  jigrce  uj)on  should 
bind  all." '-^  In  May,  1034,  a  House  of  Representatives  was 
estaldishcd,  coini)osed  of  twenty-four  delegates.  IJut  even 
then  the  relative  jmwer  of  the  officers  and  delegates  was 
undetermined,  and  a  discussion  upon  the  i>oint  aros(!,  when 
the  people  of  Newtown  requested  permission  to  icinove  to 
Connecticut,  which  culminated  in  a  political  contioversy 
of  many  years'  duration. 

'  IJjirry,  i.  270.  «  Mass.  RecordM,  i.  87,  acq. 


THE   COM'EDERACY  OF   THE   (VL0A7ES.  .-,7 

In  hl.'5r>  four  of  tlio  miicjistrutos  wno  drimliHl  to  fiamo 
a  l)o(ly  of  laws  w  liich  shoulil  hcnv  a  ''  rostMiihlaiiro  (o  ii 
Maj^Mia  Cliarla."  Nearly  six  yt'iirs  \V(M(>  spiMil  lu'l'oro  (lu^ 
co(lt>  was  liiially  cuiiiiilt'li'tl.  This  "  luxly  of  I  .ihrrlics," 
so  callcil,  coiiiiirisi'd  one  liuinlrctl  laws,  and  was  adoplcd  in 
Dfcrndx-r,  hill.  Nallianicl  W'aiil,  of  Ipswirli,  was  (lu> 
(•()iii|iil('r  of  llio  system;  and  "astlu*  anilioi-  of  the  funda- 
mental code,"  says  IJanerol't,  "he  is  the  most,  remarkable 
aUKin;;-  all  I  he  early  le!;islators  of  INIassaehnset  Is;  lu'  had  hetMi 
leinierly  a  Nindenl.  and  |iraelisei'  in  the  courts  of  common 
law  in  l'!n<;laiid,  l>ul.  hecanu^  u  non  etinlormin;',  minisitu'  ;  so 
thai  he  was  enmpelcnt.  to  eond>in(t  (ho  hnmaut^  doetriues  of 
the  (diumoii  law  with  the  |irinei|)les  of  natural  ri^ht  and 
LMluality,    ari   deduced    iVoiii    the    Hilile."' 

W'e  may  here  eiunnerale  sonu"  of  the  mort>  imporlani, 
fealairoH  of  this  code.  All  ^'oneral  oIlieiM's  w  imi>  to  he 
(>lected  annually,  and  recompensed  from  (ho  couunou  fund, 
'i'he  iVeeiiien  in  the  sev(M'al  towns  wert^  tt>  ehooS(»  depu- 
ties IVom  amoni';  Ihem.selves,  "or  elsewhere,  as  lh(<v  iudL;'ed 
til  lest-',  who  were  t<»  he  paid  from  the  (reasnry  of  the  ii»speo- 
tive  towns,  and  to  servo  *  at  the  most  hut.  one  v«iar.' " 
Twelve  cajiilal  offence.i  were  it'co|_^in/ed.  lale,  lihcrlN', 
honor,  ioid  property  were  constantly  under  IIh^  protection 
of  I  he  law.  lOvei'y  man  was  piomisetl  cipial  justice  under 
all  (  M  cinnslaiKMiK,  and  hail  the  lilierl\'  tomo\iMin\  (pn-stion 
CM'  present.  an\  pelilion  at  any  coiul,  conmil,  or  town  mct^l- 
iu".  All  properly  wan  U*  l)e  (\vo  from  lim-s,  and  the  dispo.i 
lion  of  Ihe  Haum  l>y  will  was  earnfully  secured  and  miarded. 
The  ri^^iitrt  of  widows  were*  respected,  and  the  protection 
ol  Ihe  law  WiiM  thrown  aroiuid  oiph.in..  A  iefni;e  was 
f^Manlcd    to     nhipwicelved     inarnierM,    and     Ihen     p^ooda    wero 

'    jliiiiisoM,    I      li(i 


58  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

defended  against  spoliation.  Slavery  was  prohibited,  ex- 
cept in  the  case  of  "  lawful  captives  taken  in  just  war, 
and  such  strangers  as  willingly  sell  themselves,  or  are  sold 
to  us  ;  "  all  such,  however,  were  "  to  have  all  the  liber- 
ties and  Christian  usages  which  the  law  of  God  estab- 
lished in  Israel  required."  The  old  practice  of  wife-whip- 
ping was  absolutely  forbidden,  although  the  court  reserved 
the  right  of  "  chastisement  "  under  just  reasons.  "  Inhu- 
man, cruel,  or  barbarous "  modes  of  bodily  punishments 
were  not  allowable  ;  and  "  no  true  gentleman,  nor  any 
man  equal  to  a  gentleman,  was  to  be  punished  with  whip- 
ping, unless  his  crime  was  very  shameful,  and  his  course 
of  life  vicious  and  profligate."  Death  was  the  penalty  only 
for  murder,  adultery,  man-stealing,  rape,  and  bearing  false 
witness  wittingly  to  deprive  any  man  of  life.  '  With  re- 
gard to  religious  matters,  all  who  were  orthodox  in  judg- 
ment, and  not  scandalous  in  daily  life,  could  become  mem- 
bers of  a  church  estate,  and  exercise  all  the  ordinances  of 
God.  Such  is  a  brief  transcript  of  the  Body  of  Liberties, 
which,  "  embracing  the  freedom  of  the  commonwealth,  of 
municipalities,  of  persons,  and  of  churches  according  to  the 
principles  of  Independency,  exhibits  the  truest  picture  of 
the  principles,  character,  and  intentions  of  that  people,  and 
the-  best  evidence  of  its  vigor  and  self-dependence."  ^ 

Says  a  quaint  old  writer,  whose  prophetic  words  may 
here  fittingly  find  a  place,  "  The  air  of  New  England, 
and  the  diet,  equal  if  not  excelling  that  of  Old  England, 
besides  their  honor  of  marriage,  and  careful  preventing 
and  punishing  of  furtive  congression,  giveth  them  and  us 
no  small  hope  of  their  future  puissance  and  multitude  of 
subjects.      Herein,    saith    the    wise     man,    consisteth     the 

'  Bancroft,  i.  418. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF   THE   COLONIES.  59 

strength  of  a  king,  and  likewise  of  a  nation  or  kingdom."  ^ 
The  moral  condition  of  the  people  of  New  England,  at  this 
period,  was  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that  of  any  other  nation 
on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

Meanwhile  a  storm  of  no  small  magnitude  was  brewing. 
While  the  colonists  were  thus  perfecting  the  civil  policy 
of  the  commonwealth,  "  a  thousand  eyes  were  watching  over 
them  to  pick  a  hole  in  their  coats."  ^  The  severe  disci- 
pline which  had  been  exercised  by  the  government  at 
Salem  and  elsewhere  produced  an  early  harvest  of  ene- 
mies, of  whom  several,  breathing  revenge,  returned  to 
England,  and  there  murmured  complaints  in  the  ears  of 
Mason  and  Gorges.  These  two  gentlemen,  who  had  wasted 
thousands  of  pounds  in  fruitless  attempts  at  colonization, 
now  became  jealous  of  the  Massachusetts  colony,  and  pre- 
sented a  petition  to  the  lords  of  the  privy  council,  "  com- 
plaining of  distractions  and  disorders  in  the  colony,"  and 
demanding  the  speedy  recall  of  its  charter.  The  news  of 
these  proceedings  reached  Boston  in  February,  1633. 

But  New  England,  however,  had  her  able  defenders  in 
the  mother  country,  who  were  not  afraid  to  speak  in  her 
behalf.  Sir  Richard  Saltonstall,  John  Humphrey,  and  Mat- 
thew Cradock,  having  broached  the  matter  before  the  coun- 
cil, were  assured  "  that  his  majesty  did  not  intend  to 
impose  the  ceremonies  of  the  Church  of  England "  upon 
the  colonists,  "  as  it  was  considered  that  it  was  the  freedom 
from  such  things  that  made  people  come  over  to  the  colo- 
ny." 3  When  these  second  tidings  reached  Boston,  in  May, 
a  day  was  appointed  for  thanksgiving. 

Although  the  spirit  of  revenge  had  been  defeated,  it  did 
not    slumber.     Although  the  king   had  shown   himself  gra- 

'  3  M.  II.  Coll.,  vi.  42.       ^  3  M.  H.  Coll.,  i.\.  244.      '  Winthrop,  ii.  119-123. 


60  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ciously  disposed  to  his  subjects  abroad,  he  proved  the  tyrant 
to  those  at  home.  "  Many  of  the  best,  both  ministers  and 
Christians,"  left  England  for  America  ;  and  the  extent  of 
emigration  was  so  great  that  it  was  deemed  "  a  more  ill- 
boding  sign  to  the  nation  than  the  portentous  blaze  of 
comets,  and  the  impressions  in  the  air,  at  which  astrologers 
are  dismayed."  ^  Dignitaries  of  the  church  and  state  be- 
came alarmed,  and  a  warrant  was  issued,  in  1634,  to  stay 
the  departure  of  several  vessels,  which  were  then  ready  to 
sail  for  New  England. 

Nor  was  this  all.  In  the  same  year,  by  royal  decree, 
the  Archbishops  of  York  and  Canterbury,  and  ten  others, 
were  constituted  a  commission  to  regulate  and  govern  the 
New  England  plantations,  both  temporally  and  spiritually; 
and  on  the  1st  of  May,  three  days  later,  a  general  governor 
was  appointed,  and  vessels  were  provided  for  his  transfer 
to  this  country. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  colonists  received  intelligence 
of  these  doings.  The  greatest  excitement  was  produced. 
Poor  as  were  the  settlements,  it  was  unanimously  resolved 
to  appropriate  six  hundred  pounds  for  purposes  of  defence. 
Provisions  were  made  for  the  erection  of  a  fort  at  Boston, 
another  at  Castle  Island,  and  for  raising  fortifications 
at  Dorchester  and  Charlestown.  All  of  the  ministers  were 
summoned  to  Boston,  and  their  opinions  were  consulted. 
It  was  agreed  that,  if  a  general  governor  should  be  sent, 
he  ought  not  to  be  accepted.  "  We  ought,"  said  the  fathers, 
"  to  defend  our  lawful  possessions,  if  we  are  able ;  and 
otherwise,  to  avoid  or  protract."  ^  In  the  fall  of  1634,  Mr. 
Edward  Winslow,  of  Plymouth,  was  sent  to  England  as 
"joint  agent  for  the  colonies  of  Plymouth   and   Massachu- 

'  Bancroft,  i.  406.  Winthrop,  i.  171-183. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE  COLONIES.  61 

setts,"  in  order  to  "  obtain  a  commission  to  withstand  the 
intrusions  of  the  French  and  the  Dutch  at  the  east  and  at 
the  west."  He  arrived  safely,  and  was  received  favorably 
by  the  lords.  Ere  long,  however,  he  was  arrested  by  order 
of  Archbishop  Laud,  and  held  a  prisoner  four  months. 

Although  one  evil  step  naturally  led  to  another,  neither 
could  emigration  be  wholly  stopped,  nor  was  the  courage 
of  the  colonists  relaxed.  For  some  years  previous,  the  New 
England  Council,  whose  affairs,  though  not  always  philo- 
sophical, were  nevertheless  conducted  by  a  proud  company 
of  philosophers,  had  been  involved  in  controversies  with 
the  rival  Virginia  Company  and  Parliament.  It  had,  at  this 
period,  little  or  no  authority  in  the  New  World,  and  was 
already  on  the  point  of  dissolution.  "  Several  of  the  com- 
pany desired,  as  individuals,  to  become  the  proprietors  of 
extensive  territories,  even  at  the  dishonor  of  invalidating 
all  their  grants  as  a  Corporation.  The  hope  of  acquiring 
principalities  subverted  the  sense  of  justice.  A  meeting  of 
the  lords  was  duly  convened,  and  the  whole  coast,  from 
Acadia  to  beyond  the  Hudson,  being  divided  into  shares, 
was  distributed,  in  part  at  least,  by  lots.  Whole  provinces 
gained  an  owner  by  the  drawing  of  a  lottery."  ^  In  June, 
1635,  after  presenting  to  the  king  the  "  humble  petition  of 
Edward,  Lord  Gorges,  president  of  the  Council  of  New 
England,  in  the  name  of  himself  and  divers  lords  and 
others  of  the  said  council,"  praying  him  "to  order  Mr. 
Attorney  General  to  draw  patents  "  for  confirmation  of  their 
several  parcels  of  land,  a  formal  act  of  surrender  of  the 
charter  was  executed,  giving  up  "all  and  every  the  liber- 
ties, licenses,  powers,  privileges,  and  authorities  therein 
granted." 2 

'  Bancroft,  i.  408.  »  Barry,  i.  288.     Hubbard,  272. 


62  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  affair  had  now  reached  its  most  serious  turn,  and 
the  colonists  were  in  a  state  of  intense  perplexity.  It  was 
said  in  England  that  they  were  sworn  to  resist  any  unjust 
invasion  of  their  rights.  Whereupon  the  king  and  his  coun- 
cil, fearful  of  the  unbridled  spirit  of  the  Americans,  re- 
solved to  carry  out  his  measures  of  oppression  still  farther. 
A  quo  warranto  was  immediately  brought  against  the  Com- 
pany of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  against  fourteen  of  its 
members  judgment  was  pronounced  individually.  At  the 
same  time,  all  the  "  liberties,  privileges,  and  franchises " 
of  the  said  company  were  "  taken  and  seized  into  the  king's 
hands."  It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  by  this 
proceeding  the  charter  which  had  been  granted  to  the 
Massachusetts  Company  was  revoked.  The  death  of  Mason, 
the  chief  mover  of  all  these  aggressions,  suspended,  for  a 
while  at  least,  further  interference. 

Meanwhile  the  colony  was  forced  to  deal  harshly  with 
enemies  at  home.  A  man  named  Burdet,  who  was  in 
reality  a  spy  of  Laud,  had  sent  to  England  various  charges, 
accusing  the  colonists  of  aiming  "  at  sovereignty,"  and  as- 
serting that  "  it  was  accounted  treason  in  their  General 
Courts  to  speak  of  appeals  to  the  king."  In  July,  1638, 
a  letter  was  received  at  Boston,  from  the  clerk  of  the 
privy  council,  containing  a  demand  for  the  return  of  the 
patent.  The  people  sent  over  a  reply,  saying  that  it  would 
not  "  be  best  to  send  back  the  patent,  because  their  friends 
in  England  would  conceive  that  it  was  surrendered,  and 
therefore  the  colony  would  be  bound  to  receive  such  a  gov- 
ernor and  such  orders  as  might  be  sent  to  them,  and  many 
bad  and  weak  minds  would  think  it  lawful,  if  not  neces- 
sary, to  accept  a  general  governor."  ^     In  their  petition  to 

'  Wintlirop,  i.  323,  seq. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE   COLONIES.  63 

the  king  they  wrote,  "  We  came  into  these  remote  parts 
with  his  majesty's  license  and  encouragement,  under  his 
great  seal  of  England,  and  in  the  confidence  Ave  had  of 
the  assurance  of  his  favor,  we  have  transported  our  fami- 
lies and  estates ;  and  if  our  patent  should  now  be  taken 
from  us,  many  thousand  souls  will  be  exposed  to  ruin, 
being  laid  open  to  the  injuries  of  all  men  ;  the  rest  of  the 
plantations  about  us,  if  we  leave  the  place,  will,  for  the 
most  part,  dissolve  and  go  with  us,  and  then  the  whole 
country  will  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  French  or  the 
Dutch  ;  if  we  should  lose  all  our  labor,  and  be  deprived 
of  those  liberties  which  his  majesty  hath  granted  us,  and 
nothing  laid  to  our  charge,  nor  any  failing  found  in  point 
of  allegiance,  it  will  discourage  all  men  hereafter  from  the 
like  undertakings  upon  confidence  of  his  majestj'^'s  royal 
grant ;  and  lastly,  if  our  patent  be  taken  from  us,  the 
common  people  will  conceive  that  his  majesty  hath  cast 
them  off,  and  that  hereby  they  are  freed  from  all  alle- 
giance and  subjection,  and  therefore  will  be  ready  to  con- 
federate themselves  under  a  new  government,  for  their 
necessary  safety  and  subsistence,  which  will  be  a  danger- 
ous example  to  other  plantations,  and  perilous  to  our- 
selves, if  incurring  his  majesty's  displeasure,  which  we 
would  by  all  means  avoid."  The  petition  concludes, 
"  Let  us  be  made  the  objects  of  his  majesty's  clemency, 
and  not  cut  off  in  our  first  appeal  from  all  hope  of  favor. 
Thus  with  our  earnest  prayer  unto  the  King  of  kings 
for  long  life  and  prosperity  to  his  sacred  majesty  and  his 
royal  family,  and  for  all  honor  and  welfare  to  your  lord- 
ships, we  humbly  take  leave."  ^ 

But  there   was   now  no   time    to    oppress  New  England, 

»  Hubbard,  200-271. 


64  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

for  Kine  Charles's  attention  was  involved  in  the  insur- 
rection  in  Scotland.  The  throne  began  to  totter,  and  Eng- 
land itself  was  all  ablaze.  A  letter  received  in  June,  1639, 
from  Mr.  Cradock  bore  the  intelligence  that  the  lords  had 
accepted  the  petition  of  the  colonists,  and  had  no  inten- 
tion to  curtail  their  liberties.  The  troubles  which  terminated 
in  the  overthrow  and  death  of  Charles  happily  averted  any- 
further  attempts  to  obtain  possession  of  the  colonial  pat- 
ent. The  perplexities  of  the  people,  however,  had  already 
aroused  a  spirit  of  independence.  The  government  was 
fast  "  hardening  into  a  republic ; "  and  a  sturdy  resist- 
ance against  all  encroachment  was  the  watchword  of  the 
hour.  The  colonists  were  hoping,  indeed,  to  be  "joined 
togrether  in  one  common  bond."  ^  It  remains  to  be  seen 
in  what  manner  this  cherished  union  was  fulfilled. 

The  establishment  of  a  confederacy  among  the  Puritan 
colonies  of  New  England  was  an  all-important  measure. 
As  early  as  in  1637,  immediately  after  the  victories  over 
the  Pequots,  such  a  union  had  been  proposed.  In  the 
following  year,  the  proposition  came  again  into  discussion, 
and  articles  of  confederation  were  sent  to  the  General 
Court  at  Newtown,  which  declined  to  accept  them. 
Owing  to  other  miscarriages,  the  union  was  not  effected. 
In  May,  1639,  Mr.  Haynes,  the  governor  of  the  Hart- 
ford colony,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hooker  visited  Boston  for 
the  purpose  of  renewing  the  treaty.  But  once  more  nego- 
tiations were  checked. 

About  this  time  the  people  of  New  Hampshire,  having 
long  been  harassed  by  vexatious  proprietary  claims,  and 
left  wholly  to  shift  for  themselves,  gave  token  of  a  desire 
to   come    under    the    government    of    Massachusetts.     The 

'  Hubbard,  3G6. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE   COLONIES.  65 

people  of  Dover  and  of  Portsmouth  had  combined  them- 
selves into  bodies-politic,  like  their  neighbors  at  Exeter. 
In  1G40,  four  distinct  governments,  including  one  at 
Kittery,  were  established  near  the  Piscataqua.  Not  one 
of  these  settlements  was  sure  of  a  long  continuance,  and 
under  the  ruling  circumstances  it  was  deemed  utterly 
impossible  to  form  a  general  government.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  unsafety  of  their  situation,  the  "lords 
and  gentlemen  "  at  Dover  and  Strawberry  Bank,  who  held 
patents,  "  finding  no  means  to  govern  the  people,"  mutu- 
ally agreed  in  1G41  to  resign  their  interest  of  jurisdiction 
to  Massachusetts.  In  the  following  year  Exeter  followed 
their   example.^ 

Some  mention  ought  to  be  made  hero  of  troubles  which 
arose  with  the  French,  who  had  made  settlements  near 
Cape  Sable.  These  emigrants  had  been  sent  over  to  Amer- 
ica by  Cardinal  Richelieu,  and  included  in  their  number 
several  Jesuit  priests.  The  Massachusetts  people,  fearing 
that  they  might  prove  "  ill  neighbors,"  agreed,  in  1632, 
"  to  finish  the  fort  at  Boston,  to  erect  another  at  Nan- 
tasket,  and  to  commence  a  plantation  at  Ipswich,  to  bar 
their  entrance  should  they  make  a  descent  upon  the 
coast."  In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  La  Tour,  "  governor 
to  the  east  of  the  St.  Croix,"  visited  Machias,  and  tliere 
violently  asserted  his  claim  to  the  place.  Shortly  after- 
wards Mr.  Allerton,  of  Plymouth,  was  sent  to  demand 
of  La  Tour  some  reason  for  his  misconduct.  "  My  au- 
thority," responded  the  Frenchman,  "  is  from  the  King  of 
France,  who  claims  the  coast  from  Cape  Sable  to  Cape 
Cod  ;  I  wish  the  English  to  understand  that  if  they  trade 
to   the    eastward    of    Pemaquid,    I   shall    seize    them  ;    my 

'  Barry,  i.  303. 


66  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

sword  is  all  the  commission  I  shall  show;  when  I  want 
help,  I  will  produce   my   authority."  ^ 

In  the  next  year,  the  commander  of  a  pinnace,  named 
Hocking,  visited  Kennebec,  and  insolently  interfered  with 
the  trade,  which  the  Plymouth  people  were  there  carry- 
ing on.  In  an  encounter  which  ensued,  Hocking  killed 
one  of  the  tradesmen,  and  was  himself  shot  in  return. 
One  of  the  Plymouth  magistrates,  Mr.  John  Alden,  who 
was  a  witness  of  this  affair,  was,  at  the  instance  of  a  kins- 
man of  Hocking,  arraigned  on  a  charge  of  murder.  The 
case  was  tried  in  Boston  ;  and  Mr.  Alden,  being  found 
not  guilty,  was  discharged. 

Still  another  disturbance  was  created  in  the  following 
year.  D'Aulney,  governor  to  the  west  of  the  St.  Croix, 
sailing  under  a  commission  from  Razilla,  commandant  of 
the  fort  at  La  Heve,  made  an  attack  upon  the  Plymouth 
trading-house  at  Penobscot,  and  rifled  it  of  all  its  con- 
tents. An  attempt  was  made  to  avenge  this  insult ;  but 
it  was  not  brought  to  any  result.  The  foregoing  en- 
croachments were  some  of  the  reasons  why  Mr.  Winslow 
was  sent  to  England  as  the  agent  of  the  colonies.  For- 
tunately, at  this  point,  troubles  with  the  French  ceased 
altogether,  and  neither  party  gave  to  the  other  any  cause 
for  apprehension. 

Turning  now  to  the  colonies  themselves,  it  is  well  to 
glance  at  their  condition  at  this  period  of  their  history. 
When  the  Puritans  came  over  to  America,  they,  just  like 
the  Pilgrims,  already  knew  that  their  future  success  and 
prosperity  depended  wholly  upon  hard  and  persistent  labor. 
When  they  arrived,  they  at  once  set  to  work  as  an  agri- 
cultural  people,    toiling  for   their  daily  bread,  and  not  yet 

'  Wintlirop,  i.  117. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE   COLONIES.  07 

mindful  of  the  wealth  which  might  eventually  crown  their 
efforts.  The  misfortunes  of  the  first  winter,  although  se- 
vere, did  not  dishearten.  With  poverty  staring  them  in 
the  face,  they  learned  those  lessons  of  thrift,  patience,  and 
economy,  which  profited  them  through  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  and  which  their  descendants  have  so  advanta- 
geously cherished  to  this  day. 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  the  immigrants  could 
arrive  from  England  bounteously  supplied  with  all  the 
necessaries  of  life.  On  the  other  hand,  they  did  not  set 
out  on  their  perilous  adventure  without  providing  them- 
selves with  the  germs  —  so  to  speak  —  of  their  future  opu- 
lence. Besides  materials  for  building,  tliey  brought  over 
with  them  articles  of  clothing  for  their  families,  tools  and 
utensils  for  their  husbandry,  and  a  number  of  neat  cat- 
tle, sheep,  swine,  and  poultry.  For  several  months  they 
subsisted  mainly  on  Indian  corn,  which  they  obtained 
from  the  natives,  and  such  other  wild  products  as  the 
country  afforded.  As  soon  as  the  chill  of  winter  departed, 
they  began  to  break  the  land  for  their  spring  labors.  Seeds 
were  sown  for  their  future  harvests  ;  the  soil  proved  rich 
and  fertile,  the  air  was  salubrious,  the  waters  pure.  Soon 
the  young  stalks  of  grain  began  to  blossom  in  the  fields. 
Fish  was  plentiful  in  the  neighboring  streams,  and  game 
of  various  kinds  roamed  freely  in  the  forests.  The  pros- 
pect was  encouraging,  and  all  were  seemingly  blessed 
with  good  cheer  and  content.  In  this  manner  the  early 
planters  sought  to  unveil  the  fruitfulness  of  New  England. 
Before  the  beginning  of  the  year  1643,  nearly  fifteen 
thousand  acres  of  land  were  being  cultivated  for  grain 
purposes,  and  at  least  one  thousand  acres  had  been  worked 
into  gardens  and  orchards.     The  number  of  neat  cattle  had 


68  ■    HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

increased  to  twelve  thousand,    and   that   of  sheep    to  three 
thousand. 

Prosperity  showed  itself  in  other  respects.  Many  of  the 
colonists  who  had  "  had  not  enough  to  bring  them  over," 
were  now  worth,  in  stock  and  lands,  hundreds  of  pounds. 
Surplus  products  were  exchanged  for  furs,  a^^d  the  latter 
were  soon  shipped  to  England.  In  this  way  was  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  thriving  commerce.  Moreover,  "  new  build- 
ings, some  even  of  brick,  sprang  up  in  every  quarter  of 
Boston  ;  markets  were  erected ;  wharves  stretched  into  the 
harbor ;  native  and  foreign  vessels  were  sent  to  the  West 
Indies  and  to  the  Madeira  Islands,  and  returned  laden 
with  sugar,  oranges,  wine,  cotton,  tobacco,  and  bullion ; 
and  these,  Avith  the  furs,  and  the  products  of  the  fish- 
eries at  the  Cape  and  at  the  Banks,  including  morse  teeth 
and  oil,  procured  in  trips  farther  to  the  north,  were  sent 
to  England  to  pay  for  the  manufactured  goods  needed  for 
their  wants."  ^ 

As  wool,  flax,  and  hemp  were  everywhere  becoming  plen- 
tiful, the  colonists  now  turned  their  attention  to  manu- 
facturing. In  the  towns  possessing  good  water  privileges, 
mills  were  erected.  Elsewhere,  glass  works  were  com- 
menced, ship-yards  opened,  and  at  Lynn  and  Braintree,  in 
the  Massachusetts  colony,  and  at  Raynham,  in  Plymouth, 
iron  founderies  were  established.  Although  much  energy 
and  zeal  were  displayed  in  these  several  investments,  it  was 
not  until  "  the  chanoes  in  England  checked  the  flow  of 
emigration  from  the  Old  World  to  the  New,  causing  an  im- 
mediate and  remarkable  reduction  in  the  value  of  cattle, 
that  manufactures  assumed  an  increased  importance,  and 
were  prosecuted  with  more  vigor."  ^ 

'  Barry,  i.  309.  «  Barry,  i.  310.     Winthrop,  ii.  21,  seq. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF   THE   COLONIES.  69 

As  many  of  the  cavly  settlers  of  the  Massachusetts  col- 
ony, and  particularly  the  clergy,  were  men  of  a  liberal 
education,  and  in  some  cases  were  graduates  of  English 
universities,  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  they  would 
permit  the  interests  of  education  to  be  forgotten.  It  was 
always  the  custom,  and  it  soon  became  a  law,  that  "  none 
of  the  brethren  shall  suffer  so  much  barbarism  in  their 
families,  as  not  to  teach  their  children  and  apprentices 
so  much  learning  as  may  enable  them  perfectly  to  read 
tlie  English  tongue."  When  the  colonies  had  reached  a 
sufficient  degree  of  prosperity,  it  was  ordered  that,  "  to 
the  end  that  learning  may  not  be  buried  in  the  graves 
of  our  forefathers,  every  township,  after  the  Lord  hath 
increased  them  to  the  number  of  fifty  householders,  shall 
appoint  one  to  teach  all  children  to  write  and  read ;  and 
where  any  town  shall  increase  to  the  number  of  one  hun- 
dred families,  they  shall  set  up  a  grammar  school ;  the 
masters  thereof  being  able  to  instruct  youth  so  far  as  they 
may  be  fitted  for  the  university."  ^ 

Boston  had  been  settled  just  six  years,  when,  in  the 
autumn  of  IGOG,  the  General  Court  voted  the  sum  of  four 
hundred  pounds  —  equal  to  a  year's  rate  of  the  whole  col- 
ony—  towards  the  erection  of  "a  school  or  college."  One 
half  of  this  amount  was  to  be  paid  in  the  next  year, 
and  the  balance  when  the  work  should  be  completed. 
On  the  15th  of  November,  ICoT,  the  college  was  "  or- 
dered to  be  at  Newtown  ; "  and  in  the  following  spring 
it  was  further  ordered  that  ''  Newtown  shall  henceforward 
be  called  Cambridge,"  in  honor  of  the  seat  of  the  alma 
mater  of  many  of  the  emigrants.  Before  this  year  ended, 
John    Harvard,  a   minister   settled   at    Charlestown,  shortly 

'  Col.  Laws,  74,  18G. 


70  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

before  his  death  bequeathed  to  the  institution  one  half  of 
his  estate  and  the  whole  of  his  library.  In  return  for  this 
benefaction,  it  was  ordered  that  the  "  college  agreed  upon 
formerly  to  be  built  at  Cambridge  shall  be  called  Harvard 
College." 

Mr.  Nathaniel  Eaton  was  the  first  master  of  this  "  school," 
and  had  charge  of  its  funds  as  well  as  of  the  buildings  and 
pupils.  Having  demeaned  himself  in  a  "  cruel  and  scanda- 
lous manner,"  and  the  parsimony  of  his  Avife  having  given 
rise  to  much  complaint,  Eaton  was  soon  dismissed  from  his 
position,  and  his  place  supplied  by  another.  "  He  was  a 
mere  Arbilius,"  says  Hubbard,  with  righteous  indignation, 
"  fitter  to  have  been  an  officer  in  the  Inquisition,  or  master 
of  an  house  of  correction,  than  an  instructor  of  Christian 
youth."  ^  In  1G38  v/as  commenced  the  regular  course  of 
academic  instruction ;  and  in  1642  nine  young  gentlemen 
were  graduated  and  received  degrees.  This  was  the  first 
commencement  in  the  history  of  Harvard  College.  The 
graduates  "  were  young  men  of  good  hope,  and  performed 
their  acts  so  as  gave  good  proof  of  their  proficiency  in  the 
tongues  and  arts,"  writes  Governor  John  Winthrop."'^  The 
"  theses  "  of  the  class  have  been  preserved.  In  this  same 
year  a  charter  for  the  college  was  granted,  and  a  board 
of  overseers  established.  The  "  learned,  reverend,  and 
judicious  Mr.  Henry  Dunster  "  now  stood  at  the  head  of 
the  seminary  as  its  first  president.  For  fourteen  years  he 
faithfully  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office,  to  the  "  great 
comfort  "  of  his  associates. 

In  a  small  tract,  entitled  "  New  England's  First  Fruits," 
written  in  Boston,  in  1642,  and  published  in  London  in  the 
next  year,  occurs  the  earliest  contemporary  account  of  the 

>  Hist.,  247.  2  Hist.,  ii.  88. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE  COLONIES.  71 

founding  of  the  college.  It  is  extremely  interesting  as 
showing  the  spirit  of  the  people  in  relation  to  the  institu- 
tion.    It  says, — 

"After  (Jod  had  carried  us  safe  to  New  England,  and 
we  had  builded  our  houses,  provided  necessaries  for  our 
livelihood,  reared,  convenient  places  for  God's  worship,  and 
settled  the  civill  government,  one  of  the  next  things  we 
longed  for  and  looked  after  was  to  advance  learning  and 
perpetuate  it  to  posterity  ;  dreading  to  leave  an  illiterate 
ministry  to  the  churches  when  our  present  ministers  shall 
lie  in  the  dust.  And  as  we  were  thinking  and  consulting 
how  to  effect  this  great  work,  it  pleased  God  to  stir  up  the 
heart  of  one  Mr.  Harvard  (a  godly  gentleman  and  a  lover 
of  learning,  then  living  amongst  us)  to  give  the  one  half 
of  his  estate  (it  being  in  all  about  1700^.)  towards  the 
erecting  of  a  colledge  and  all  his  library.  After  him  another 
gave  300?. ;  others  after  them  cast  in  more,  and  the  publique 
hand  of  the  state  added  the  rest.  The  colledge  was  by 
common  consent  appointed  to  be  at  Cambridge  (a  place 
very  pleasant  and  accommodate),  and  is  called  (according 
to  the  name  of  its  first  founder)  Harvard  Colledge."  The 
early  appearance  of  the  college  is  thus  quaintly  described 
in  the  same  work  :  "  The  edifice  is  very  faire  and  comely 
within  and  without,  having  in  it  a  spacious  hall,  where  they 
daily  meet  at  commons,  lectures,  and  exercises,  and  a  large 
library  with  some  bookes  to  it,  the  gifts  of  diverse  of  our 
friends,  their  chambers  and  studies  also  fitted  for  and 
possessed  by  the  students,  and  all  other  roomes  of  office 
necessary  and  convenient,  with  all  needful  offices  thereto 
belonging." 

The  infant  institution  soon  became  a  great  favorite.  All 
of  the    colonies    contributed    offerings    towards    its  support ; 


72  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  state  granted  the  use  of  a  ferry ;  and  magistrates  and 
citizens  were  ahke  profuse  in  their  liberaht3\  In  return, 
the  college  moulded  the  early  character  of  the  country. 
Indeed,  its  influence  was  such  as  to  give  cause  of  alarm  to 
the  commissioners  of  Charles  II.,  who  in  their  report  wrote 
that,  "  It  may  be  feared  this  college  may  afford  as  many 
scismaticks  to  the  Church,  and  the  Corporation  as  many 
rebells  to  the  King,  as  formerly  they  have  done  if  not 
timely  prevented."  The  Marquis  of  Wellesley  is  accredited 
with  having  said  to  an  American,  many  years  later,  "  Estab- 
lishing a  seminary  in  New  England  at  so  early  a  period  of 
time  hastened  your  revolution  half  a  century." 

Nor  were  grammar  schools  unthought  of  at  this  period. 
As  education  was  deemed  to  be  an  object  of  the  highest 
importance,  a  law  was  passed  compelling  every  town  to 
support  a  district  school  within  its  limits.  The  school  at 
Cambridge,  under  the  charge  of  "  Master  Corlet,"  prepared 
students  for  the  college.  The  schools  at  Watertown,  Boston, 
Charlestown,  Roxbur}^,  Dorchester,  those  also  in  Plymouth 
and  in  Connecticut,  each  sent  thither  its  quota.  "  In  these 
measures,"  says  an  historian,  "  especially  in  the  laws  estab- 
lishing common  schools,  lies  the  secret  of  the  success  and 
character  of  New  England.  Every  child,  as  it  was  born 
into  the  Avorld,  was  lifted  from  the  earth  b}'-  the  genius  of 
the  countr}^,  and,  in  the  statutes  of  the  land,  received,  as  its 
birthright,  a  pledge  of  the  public  care  for  its  morals  and 
its  mind."  ^ 

In  1G89  the  first  printing  press  erected  in  New  England 
was  set  up  at  Cambridge  by  Stephen  Daye,  at  the  charge 
of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Glover,  who  had  brought  over  both 
pressmen    and    press    from    England.       "  The    first     thing 

»  Bancroft,  U.  S.,  i.  459. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE   COLONIES.  73 

printed,"  says  Winthrop  in  his  Journal,  "  was  '  The  Free- 
man's Oath;'  the  next  an  Ahnanac  made  for  New  Eng- 
land b}'  Mr.  Pierce,  mariner  ;  the  next  was  the  Psahns 
newly  turned  into  metre."  The  press  soon  fell  into  the 
possession  of  Samuel  Green,  who  followed  the  printer's 
trade  in  Cambridge  for  more  than  forty  years.  In  1649 
he  published  the  "  Cambridge  Platform,"  in  IGGO  the 
"Laws  of  the  Colony,"  and  in  1G85  the  "Psalter," 
Eliot's  "  Catechism,"  Baxter's  "  Call,"  and  the  Bible  in 
the  Indian  language.  These  several  publications  are  now 
very  rarely  met  Avith. 

In  1643,  or  thereabouts,  the  population  of  New  England 
was  not  far  from  twenty-five  thousand  ;  that  of  jNIassa- 
chusetts  was  about  eighteen  thousand.  Among  the  number 
of  the  latter  there  were  not  a  few  restless  minds,  of  whom 
some  were  already  projecting  new  settlements  in  the  Baha- 
mas. A  plan  of  government  was  draughted,  and  a  large 
number  of  families  departed  to  the  "new  land."  Erelong 
Spanish  interference  checked  the  progress  of  this  dangerous 
scheme  ;  the  settlers  were  dispersed,  and  those  Avho  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  return  to  New  England  applied  themselves 
to  objects  of  more  permanent  value. 

And  now  the  plan'  which  had  been  so  much  talked  about 
around  firesides  and  in  the  General  Court  —  the  confederacy 
of  the  colonies  —  was  again  held  up  for  public  consideration. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  doubt  but  that  such  a  union 
was  necessary,  as  much  for  the  interests  of  religion  as 
for  the  common  safety.  On  the  19th  of  May,  1643,  the 
initiatory  step  was  taken.  On  this  day  commissioners  from 
four  of  the  colonies  met  in  Boston,  and  agreed  upon  terms 
of  confederation.!      The   articles    were  then  signed   by   the 

'  Bradford,  41G. 
10 


74  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

commissioners  from  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  New 
Haven  ;  but,  inasmuch  as  the  Plymouth  delegates  were 
not  authorized  to  sign,  the  latter  reported  them  to  their 
General  Court,  which  submitted  them  for  ratification  to  the 
several  towns.  In  this  manner  they  were  ratified  by  the 
people.  On  the  7th  of  September  the  measures  had  beeii 
confirmed  ;  and  thus  was  formed  the  cenfederation  of  "  The 
United  Colonies  of  New  England,"  the  prototj'pe  of  the 
North  American  Confederacy  of  1774,  The  four  jurisdic- 
tions comj)rised  a  population  of  about-  twenty-four  thousand, 
living  in  thirty-nine  towns. ^ 

The  preamble  to  the  articles  of  confederation  reads  as 
follows :  "  We  all  came  into  these  parts  of  America  with 
one  and  the  same  end  and  aim,  viz.  :  to  advance  the  kingdom 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  enjoy  the  liberties  of  the 
gospel  in  purity  with  peace ;  and  whereas  by  our  settling, 
by  the  Avise  providence  of  God,  we  are  further  dispersed 
upon  the  sea-coast  and  rivers  than  was  at  first  intended,  so 
that  we  cannot,  according  to  our  desire,  with  convenience 
communicate  in  one  government  and  jurisdiction  ;  and  where- 
as we  live  encompassed  with  people  of  several  nations  and 
strange  languages,  which  hereafter  may  prove  injurious  to  us 
or  our  posterity  ;  and  forasmuch  as  the  natives  have  for- 
merly committed  sundry  insolences  and  outrages  upon  several 
plantations  of  the  English,  and  have  of  late  combined  them- 
selves against  us,  and  seeing  by  reason  of  the  sad  distractions 
in  England  (which  they  have  heard  of)  and  by  which  they 
know  we  are  hindered  both  from  that  humble  way  of  seek- 
ing advice  and  reaping  those  comfortable  fruits  of  protection 
which  at  other  times  we  might  well  expect ;  we  therefore 
do   conceive  it  our  bounden  duty,  without  delay,  to  enter 

»  Winthrop,  ii.   119-127;  Hubbard,  4G7,  seq. 


THE   CONFEDERACY  OF  THE   COLONIES.  I'y 

into  a  present  consociation  among  ourselves,  for  mutual 
help  and  strength  in  all  future  concernment,  that  as  in 
nation  and  religion,  so  in  other  respects,  we  be  and  continue 
one,  according  to  the  true  tenor  and  meaning  of  the  ensuing 
articles." 

This  explicit  preamble  is  followed  by  twelve  articles. 
The  first  fixes  the  name,  "  The  United  Colonies  of  New 
England."  The  second  is  a  declaration  of  a  perpetual 
league,  with  its  purposes.  The  third  asserts  the  right  of 
jurisdiction  of  each  colony  within  its  own  boundaries,  and 
confines  the  confederacy  to  the  four  colonies  forming  it, 
until  otherwise  agreed.  The  fourth  establishes  the  rule 
to  be  followed  in  the  apportionment  of  colonial  expenses  in 
time  of  war.  The  fifth  states  the  course  to  be  pursued  in 
case  of  any  foreign  invasion.  The  sixth  gives  to  each 
colony  the  power  to  choose  two  commissioners,  fully  author- 
ized to  act  in  its  behalf.  The  seventh  provides  for  the 
election  of  a  president  of  the  board.  The  eighth  provides 
for  the  establishing  of  "  agreements  and  orders  in  general 
cases  of  a  civil  nature,"  and  for  the  preservation  of  justice 
in  general.  The  ninth  forbids  each  colony  engaging  in 
war,  without  the  consent  of  the  rest.  The  tenth  provides 
for  calling  extraordinary  meetings.  The  eleventh  provides 
for  cases  arising  from  a  breach  of  the  articles  ;  and  the 
twelfth  ratifies  and  confirms  the  whole. ^ 

This  league  generally  met  with  the  expectations  of  its 
founders.  Remarkable  for  unmixed  simplicity,  it  was  yet 
strong  in  its  purpose,  and  was  virtually  an  assumption  of 
the  sovereignty  of  the  people.  Its  existence  was  as  unpre- 
meditated from  early  years  as  it  was  inevitable  at  the  last. 
Majesty   itself  could  not   have    prohibited    it  ;    nor    was   it 

'  Wiiithrop,  ii.   119-127. 


76  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

probably  foreseen  by  the  charter  of  Massachusetts.  When 
the  bond  of  union  had  been  agreed  upon,  Thomas  Hooker 
wrote  to  Governor  Winthrop,  m  terms  which  disclose  to 
us  the  elevated  thought  and  exalted  aims  of  the  fathers 
of  New  England. 

"  Much  honored  in  our  blessed  Savior !  At  the  return 
of  our  magistrates,  when  I  understood  the  gracious  and 
desired  success  of  their  endeavor,  and  by  the  joint  relation 
of  them  all,  not  only  your  Christian  readiness,  but  enlarged 
faithfulness  in  an  especial  manner  to  promote  so  good  a 
work,  —  ray  heart  Avould  not  suffer  mo  but  as  unfeignedly 
to  acknowledge  the  Lord's  goodness,  so  affectionately  to 
remember  your  candid  and  cordial  carriage  in  a  matter  of 
so  great  consequence  ;  laboring  b}"-  your  special  prudence  to 
settle  a  foundation  of  safety  and  prosperity  in  succeeding 
ages ;  a  work  which  will  be  found  not  only  for  your  comfort, 
but  for  your  crown  at  the  great  day  of  your  account.  It's 
the  greatest  good  that  can  befall  a  man  in  this  world  to 
be  an  instrument  under  God  to  do  a  great  deal  of  good. 
To  be  the  repairer  of  the  breach  was  of  old  counted 
matter  of  the  highest  praise  and  acceptance  with  God  and 
man ;  much  more  to  be  a  means,  not  only  to  maintain  peace 
and  truth  in  j'our  days,  but  to  leave  both  as  a  legacy  to  those 
that  come  after  until  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  the 
clouds."  1 

•  4  M.  H.  Coll.,  vi.  390. 


MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES'  II.  77 


CHAPTER   IV. 

MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES  H. 

The  revolution  in  England,  which  dethroned  and  sent 
Charles  I.  to  the  scaffold,  broke  up  the  Court  of  High 
Commission,  abolished  the  Star  Chamber,  and  crushed  the 
power  of  associate  tyrants,  exerted  no  small  degree  of  in- 
fluence on  the  fortunes  of  New  England.  When  the  news 
first  reached  these  shores  that  a  new  Parliament  had  been 
formed,  and  there  was  some  hope  of  a  reform,  some  of 
the  Puritans  "  began  to  think  of  returnhig  back  to  Eng- 
land, and  others,  despairing  of  further  help  from  thence, 
turned  their  minds  wholly  to  a  removal  to  the  south." 
The  Long  Parliament,  which  met  in  London  in  1641,  con- 
tained among  its  members  many  favorers  of  the  Puritan 
plantations,  some  of  whom,  says  Winthrop,  "  wrote  to  us 
advice  to  solicit  for  us  in  the  Parliament,  giving  us  hope 
that  we  might  obtain  much.  But  consulting  about  it,  we 
declined  the  motion  for  this  consideration,  that  if  we 
should  put  ourselves  under  the  protection  of  the  Parlia- 
ment, we  must  then  be  subject  to  all  such  laws  as  they 
should  make,  or,  at  least,  such  as  they  might  impose  upon 
us."  ^  The  same  sagacity  was  displayed  by  the  settlers 
when  they  received  letters,  in  the  following  year,  invit- 
ing them  to  send  deputies  to  the  Westminster  Assembly 
of  divines. 

'  Wlnflirop,  ii.  30, 


78  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

However,  the  colonists  resolved  to  send  Hugh  Peters 
and  two  others  to  England,  to  "  mediate  ease  in  customs 
and  excise  ; "  and  their  mission  proved  successful.  So 
pleasant  continued  the  relations  between  Parliament  and 
the  colonies,  that  in  1643  the  former  freed  their  imports 
and  exports  from  all  taxation,  "  until  the  House  of  Com- 
mons should  take  order  to  the  contrary."  The  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts,  feeling  grateful  for  the  ordinance, 
"  entered  it  word  for  word  on  their  records,  as  a  memo- 
rial to  posterity."  Meanwhile  the  events  of  the  time  gave 
rise  to  many  political  discussions.  Abstract  questions  of 
government  were  freely  debated ;  public  meetings  were  fre- 
quent ;  and  at  every  annual  court  one  of  the  ministers 
was  appointed  to  preach  an  "  Election  Sermon."  In  these 
discussions,  wide  differences  of  opinion  were  expressed, 
and  there  was  manifested  a  growing  jealousy,  on  the  part 
of  the  people,  of  their  highly  aristocratical  charter  gov- 
ernment. Although  the  appointment,  by  Parliament,  of  a 
governor  general  of  America  was  not  quite  pleasing  to 
Massachusetts,  the  people  still  acknowledged  their  alle- 
giance to  England ;  it  was  also  ordered  by  the  court, 
that  "  whosoever  should  endeavor  to  disturb  the  public 
peace,  directly  or  indirectly,  by  drawing  a  party,  under 
the  pretence  that  he  was  for  the  King  of  England  and 
such  as  joined  with  him  .against  the  Parliament,  should 
be  accounted  an  offender  of  a  high  nature  against  the 
commonwealth,  to  be  proceeded  with,  either  capitally 
or  otherwise,  according  to  the  quality  or  degree  of  his 
offence." 

In  1645  several  difficulties  arose  within  the  colonies 
which  called  for  the  exercise  of  skilful  diplomacy.  Cer- 
tain  parties,    hostile   to   the  government   of   Massachusetts, 


MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES  //.  79 

had  returned  to  England  bearing  grievances  and  seeking 
a  redress  for  the  same.  Tliese  disturbances,  united  to 
others  of  a  religious  nature,  led  to  the  appointment  of 
a  commission.  Mr.  Edward  Winslow,  of  Plymouth,  was 
sent  to  England  to  answer  these  charges,  together  with 
those  of  Gorton,  should  they  be  brought  into  Parliament. 
Mr.  AVinslow  left  Boston  in  December,  1G4G,  and  on 
arriving  in  England,  he  held  interviews  with  Sir  Henry 
Vane  and  the  Earl  of  Warwick.  These  gentlemen  re- 
ferred the  case  to  Parliament,  and  the  result  was  a  vin- 
dication of  the  colonists.  The  complaints  of  Gorton  and 
of  others  against  them  fell  flat.  The  loyalty  of  Massa- 
chusetts thus  procured  the  protection  of  Parliament  in  that 
it  encouraged  no  appeals  from  its  decisions,  and  left  it 
with  all  the  freedom  and  latitude  that  it  might  claim. 

Cromwell  always  manifested  great  love  for  the  colonists, 
from  whom,  m  return,  he  won  the  fullest  confidence. 
After  he  had  achieved  his  success  in  Ireland,  he  conceived 
the  project  of  introducing  Puritanism  in  that  island,  and 
invited  tlie  people  of  Massachusetts  to  remove  thither. 
For  just  reasons  the  colonists  declined  the  proposal,  pre- 
ferring their  own  land  and  government,  "  the  happiest 
and  wisest  this  day  in  the  world."  When  this  answer 
was  returned  to  the  lord  protector,  a  petition  was  also 
sent,  soliciting  his  intervention  "  to  avert  the  sad  conse- 
quences apprehended  from  the  recall  of  the  charter." 
"  English  history,"  says  Bancroft,  "  must  judge  of  Crom- 
well by  his  influence  on  the  institutions  of  England  ;  the 
American  colonies  remember  the  years  of  his  power  as  the 
period  when  British  sovereignty  was  for  them  free  from 
rapacity,  intolerance,  and  oppression.  He  may  be  called 
the   benefactor   of  the    English    in    America ;    for    he   left 


80  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

them  to  enjoy  unshackled  the  liberal  benevolence  of  Prov- 
idence, the  freedom  of  industry,  of  commerce,  of  religion, 
and  of  government."  ^ 

During  these  years  the  Puritans  and  the  Pilgrims  worked 
harmoniously  together  to  build  up  a  mighty  common- 
wealth. Small  beginnings  could  not  but  lead  to  potent 
results.  Said  the  General  Court,  in  164G,  "  Plantations 
are  above  the  rank  of  an  ordinary  corporation ;  they  have 
been  esteemed  other  than  towns,  yea,  than  many  cities. 
Colonies  are  the  foundations  of  great  commonwealths.  It 
is  the  fruit  of  pride  and  folly  to  despise  the  day  of  small 
things."  On  the  other  hand,  relations  with  neighboring 
colonies  were  not  altogether  pleasant.  In  1G53,  there  was 
a  rumor  current  that  the  Dutch  governor  at  Manhattan 
was  seeking  to  incite  the  Indians  against  the  English; 
and  when  the  rumor  seemed  to  be  confirmed,  the  people 
of  Connecticut  clamored  loudly  for  war.  The  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts,  having  reviewed  the  evidence, 
declared  that  "  no  determination  of  the  commissioners, 
though  they  should  all  agree,  should  bind  them  to  join  in 
an  offensive  war  which  should  appear  to  be  unjust."  This 
refusal  to  coincide  with  the  views  of  the  Connecticut  people 
came  very  near  resulting  in  a  dissolution  of  the  confeder- 
ac3^  Before  passion  thus  weakened  discretion,  the  tidings 
arrived  that  Cromwell  had  ordered  three  ships  to  be  sent 
over  to  assist  in  the  reduction  of  the  Dutch. 

In  the  month  of  June  the  court  convened ;  and  Major 
Robert  Sedgewick  and  Captain  John  Leverett  received 
permission  to  raise  a  force  of  five  hundred  volunteers. 
Just  as  the  expedition  was  on  the  point  of  starting  for 
Manhattan,   the   news    came   that   a  peace   had   been   con- 

'  Bancroft,  i.  446. 


MASSACHUSETTS  AND    CHARLES  //.  81 

eluded  between  England  and  Holland.  The  plans  of  the 
colonists  were,  therefore,  altered ;  and  the  military  force 
was  despatched  to  dislodge  the  French  from  the  Penob- 
scot and  St.  John's.  This  object  was  speedily  accom- 
plished. On  the  20th  of  September  a  thanksgiving  Avas 
celebrated  throughout  the  colony,  in  gratitude  for  the  peace 
with  the  Dutch,  and  the  "  hopeful  establishment  of  gov- 
ernment in  England."  In  the  following  year  an  expedi- 
tion was  sent  to  Niantick  for  the  purpose  of  quieting  a 
conspiracy,  which  had  originated  with  the  Narragansett 
tribe.  But  as  nothing  serious  resulted  from  it,  the  war 
was  discontinued. 

"With  regret  we  must  now  briefly  allude  to  another 
display  of  the  persecuting  spirit  which  prevailed  in  Mas- 
sachusetts at  this  time.  As  we  have  already  observed,  a 
national  uncompromising  church  had  been  founded  in  the 
colony.  The  union  of  church  and  state  was  fast  corrupt- 
ing both.  Base  ambition  was  mingled  with  the  former, 
while  a  false  direction  was  given  to  the  legislation  of  the 
latter.  The  Congregationalists  of  Massachusetts  were  led 
to  the  "indulgence  of  the  passions  which  had  disgraced 
their  English  persecutors,  and  Laud  was  justified  by  the 
men  whom  he  had  wronged." 

In  the  summer  of  1656  the  first  Quakers  arrived  in 
Massachusetts.  Inasmuch  as  their  doctrines  were  deemed 
"  another  assault  of  Satan  upon  God's  poor  people  here," 
and  as  opening  anew  that  '■  Dead  Sea  of  heterodoxy,  that 
vast  and  horrid  sink  such  as  makes  the  land  to  stink  in 
the  nostrils  both  of  God  and  man,"  the  new  comers  were 
all  imprisoned  and  treated  with  great  indignity.  In  the 
autumn  they  were  banished,  and  the  court  ordered  that 
a  penalty  of  one  hundred  pounds  should  be  imposed  upon 
11 


82  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  master  of  any  ship  bringing  Quakers  within  the  juris- 
diction. If  any  Quakers  should  come  hither,  they  were  to 
be  whipped,  and  then  transported.  Other  laws,  equally 
severe,  were  passed,  prohibiting  the  harboring  of  the  sect. 
So  intense  was  the  bigotry  of  the  age,  that  the  fathers 
declared  that  "  heretical  doctrine  is  not  only  a  sin,  but 
profession  of  a  doctrine  which  is  both  all  sin  and  a  way 
of  sin."  Plymouth  and  Connecticut  shared  the  prevailing 
sentiments  of  Massachusetts,  while  Rhode  Island  alone, 
under  the  wise  guidance  of  Roger  Williams,  looked  with 
favor  on  the  "  pernicious  sect." 

For  a  season  persecution  reigned  unbridled.  Large  num- 
bers of  the  Quakers,  men,  women,  and  children,  mothers 
with  infants  lying  on  their  breasts,  children  too  young 
and  innocent  to  excite  other  than  feelings  of  compassion, 
were  scourged,  fined,  imprisoned,  and  banished.  A  ter- 
rible tragedy  was  being  enacted.  Scenes  of  blood  were 
frequent.  "  I  would  carry  fire  in  one  hand,"  said  Mr. 
Wilson,  "  and  fagots  in  the  other,  to  burn  all  the  Quakers 
in  the  world."  And  again,  "  Hang  them,"  he  cried,  "  or 
else  — "  and  with  a  significant  gesture  he  passed  his 
hand  across  his  throat.  There  was  no  excuse  for  such 
proceedings  as  these.  What  if  the  conduct  of  the  Quakers 
had  been  provoking  —  what  if  their  manners  were  oddly 
affected,  their  sense  of  delicacy  debased,  and  all  their 
acts  Avere  seemingly  devoid  of  reason?  Neither  then  nor 
now  could  any  apology  be  offered  for  the  shameless  sins 
of  their  persecutors.  "When,"  says  George  Fox,  "did 
ever  the  true  apostles  and  teachers  whip,  hang,  brand 
with  an  hot  iron,  banish  upon  pain  of  death,  and  spoil 
the   goods?"  1 

'  Fox,  Answer  to  New  Laws,  4. 


MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES  //.  83 

Four  of  the  Quakers  —  William  Robinson,  Marmaduke 
Stevenson,  Mary  Dyer,  and  "NVenlock  Christisson  —  were 
early  made  victims  of  the  scaffold.  Let  us  not  dwell  upon 
the  inhumanity  that  marked  these  frightfid  scenes.  ''We 
desired  their  lives  absent  rather  than  their  death  present," 
was  the  only  excuse  which  the  magistrates  could  offer. 
When  Christisson  was  put  on  trial,  he  asked  by  what 
law  the  magistrates  condemned  him.  "  Our  own,"  was 
the  cool  reply.  "  Who  empowered  you  to  make  that 
law  ?  "  was  his  next  question  ;  and  being  told  that  they 
were  authorized  by  the  patent,  he  inquired,  "  Can  you 
make  laws  against  those  of  England?"  What  else  could 
they  say,  but  "No"?  "Then,"  said  he,  fearlessly,  "have 
you  overstepped  your  bounds,  and  your  hearts  are  as  rot- 
ten towards  the  king  as  towards  God."  When  the  sen- 
tence of  dccith  was  pronounced,  he  exclaimed,  "  What  do 
you  gain  by  taking  Quakers'  lives  ?  For  the  last  man 
you  put  to  death  here  are  five  come  in  his  room  ;  and 
if  ye  have  power  to  take  my  life,  God  can  raise  up  ten 
in  my  stead."  ^ 

But  at  length  the  tidings  of  these  fearful  barbarities 
reached  the  shores  of  England.  "  There  is  a  vein  of  blood 
opened  in  your  dominions,  which,  if  not  stopped,  will  over- 
come all,"  said  Edward  Burroughs  to  Charles  II.,  who  now 
sat  upon  the  throne  of  his  father.  "  Ah,  I  will  stop  that 
vein,"  said  the  king,  promptly.  "  Do  it  speedily,"  contin- 
ued the  ally  of  Fox.  "  As  speedily  as  ye  wall,"  was  the 
response  ;  "  call  to  the  secretary,  and  I  will  do  it  presently." 

The  secretary  obeyed  the  summons ;  a  mandamus  was 
granted ;  and  Samuel  Shattuck,  a  worthy  Quaker,  was 
ordered   to   be   the    bearer    of    it   to   Massachusetts.     In   a 

-  Bishop,  N.  E.  Judged,  336-340. 


84  HISTORY  OF  MASS ACH I/SETTS. 

little  while  the  news  reached  Boston  that  a  ship-load  of 
Quakers,  "  Shattiick,  the  devil,  and  all,"  were  anchored 
in  the  harbor.  On  the  following  day,  it  being  Monday, 
two  personages,  Shattuck,  the  king's  deputy,  and  the  cap-, 
tain  of  the  vessel,  repaired  to  the  residence  of  Governor 
Endicott.  Upon  being  admitted,  the  former  was  ordered 
to  remove  his  hat ;  but  "  when  the  mandamus  was  placed 
in  his  hands,  he  took  off  his  own  hat  and  returned  that 
of  the  messenger."  A  consultation  was  held,  followed 
by  this  laconic  reply :  "  We  shall  obey  his  majesty's  com- 
mand." 

The  j)ersecution  was  now  virtually  ended.  Terror  had 
supplanted  vengeance  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and 
the  Quakers  were  allowed  to  proceed  about  their  busi- 
ness. Fearing  that  some  evil  results  might  follow,  Mr. 
Bradstreet  and  Mr.  Norton  were  sent  to  England,  as 
agents  of  the  colony.  The  king  received  them  favorably ; 
and  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Quakers  to  bring 
them  to  an  account  for  the  murder  of  their  friends  was 
finally  compromised.  From  this  hour  the  rigor  of  the 
colonial  laws  abated,  and  the  principles  of  toleration  began 
to  surmount  the  evils  of  bigotry.  Says  a  writer,  "  Let 
us  not  censure  too  harshly  the  conduct  of  men  to  whom 
we  are  so  largely  indebted  for  the  blessings  we  enjoy. 
Candid  minds  will  not  be  indisposed  to  cast  over  their 
errors  the  mantle  of  charity.  We  have  no  disposition  to 
conceal  those  errors  ;  neither  would  we  magnify  them  to 
an  undue  extent.  Future  ages,  perhaps,  in  considering 
the  laws  of  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  centmy,  will 
look  back  with  wonder  to  our  daj's,  and  may  find  it  as 
difficult  to  conceive  how  we  should  have  strayed  so  far 
from    the  spirit  of   the  gospel    as    then    understood,  as   we 


AfASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES  II.  85 

find  it  difficult  to  conceive  how  our  ancestors  should  have 
strayed  so  far  from  that  spirit  as  we  understand  it.  Let 
each  age  be  judged  by  its  own  light,  and  let  due  credit 
be  given  for  all  that  was  good  in  the  past."  ^ 

In  May,  1G60,  Charles  II.  mounted  the  throne  of  his 
ancestors.  The  hand  of  death  had  fallen  upon  the  pro- 
tectorate, and  Puritanism  had  declined  in  England,  never 
to  rise  again.  The  new  House  of  Commons  had  voted 
that  "  according  to  the  ancient  and  fundamental  laws  of 
this  kingdom,  the  government  is,  and  ought  to  be,  by 
King,  Lords,  and  Commons,"  and  accordingly  restored 
the  old  constitution.  When  Charles,  a  few  days  later, 
landed  at  Dover,  and  made  his  triumphal  entry  into 
Whitehall,  he  laughed  with  characteristic  iron}^  and  said, 
"  It  is  my  own  fault  that  I  had  not  come  back  sooner ; 
for  I  find  nobody  who  does  not  tell  me  he  has  always 
longed  for  my  return."  The  king  was  a  brute  incarnate  ; 
and  as  a  key  to  the  moral  character  of  his  reign,  it  need 
only  be  said  that,  the  first  night  of  his  return  to  London 
was  signalized  by  the  seduction  of  a  beautiful  woman 
of  nineteen,  the  wife  of  one  of  his  subjects. 

In  December  of  this  year,  intelligence  of  the  accession 
of  a  new  king  had  reached  Massachusetts ;  the  General 
Court  convened  and  prepared  addresses  to  his  majesty. 
In  these  addresses  his  favor  towards  the  colonies  was  so- 
licited, and  their  own  allegiance  to  his  sovereignty  was 
declared.  Instructions  were  forwarded  to  Mr.  Leverett, 
their  agent,  to  direct  the  proper  transmission  of  the  peti- 
tions. "  If  the  king  or  Parliament,"  said  they,  "  should 
demand  what  these  privileges  are  which  we  desire  the 
continuance  of,  your  answer   may  be.  All   those  which  are 

1  Barry,  i.  372. 


86  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

granted  us  by  patent,  and  that  we  have  hitherto  enjoyed 
in  church  and  commonwealth,  without  any  other  power 
imposed  over  us,  or  any  other  infringement  of  them 
which  would  be  destructive  to  the  ends  of  our  coming 
hither.  As  also  that  no  appeal  may  be  permitted  from 
hence  in  any  case,  civil  or  criminal,  Avhich  would  be  such 
an  intolerable  and  insupportable  burden  as  this  poor 
place,  at  this  distance,  is  not  able  to  undergo,  but  Avould 
render  authority  and  government  vain  and  ineffectual, 
and  bring  us  into  contempt  with  all  sorts  of  people. 
And  if  3'ou  find  the  king  and  Parliament  propitious 
to  us,  to  use  your  utmost  endeavors  for  the  renewing 
that  ordinance  that  freed  us  from  customs,  10th  jNlarch, 
1642."  1 

In  the  folloAving  May  a  reply,  signed  by  Mr.  Secretary 
Morrice,  together  with  a  mandate  for  the  arrest  of  Goffe 
and  Whalley,  the  regicides  who  had  escaped  to  jNIassa- 
chusetts,  was  received  in  Boston.  The  king's  response 
contained  a  general  expression  of  good  will,  which,  how- 
ever, did  not  quiet  the  apprehensions  of  the  colonists. 
The  air  was  filled  with  rumors,  and  something  seemed  to 
forebode  an  earl}^  collision  with  the  crov/n.  At  a  special 
session  of  the  court  held  in  June,  "  a  declaration  of  natu- 
ral and  chartered  rights "  was  approved  and  published. 
In  this  document  the  people  affirmed  their  right  "  to 
choose  their  own  governor,  deputy  governor,  and  repre- 
sentatives ;  to  admit  freemen  on  terms  to  be  prescribed 
at  their  own  pleasure ;  to  set  up  all  sorts  of  officers, 
superior  and  inferior,  and  point  out  their  power  and 
places ;  to  exercise,  by  their  annually  elected  magistrates 
and  deputies,    all   power   and   authority,    legislative,  execu- 

'  Hutchinson,  Coll.,  330. 


MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES  //.  87 

tivc,  and  judicial  ;  to  defend  themselves  by  force  of  arms 
against  every  aggression ;  and  to  reject  as  an  infringe- 
ment of  their  rights,  any  parliamentary  or  royal  imposi- 
tion, prejudicial  to  the  country,  and  contrary  to  any  just 
act  of  colonial  legislation."  ^ 

More  than  a  year  elapsed  from  the  restoration  of  Charles 
II.  to  his  ])ublic  recognition  at  Boston.  While  in  Old 
England  the  people  welcomed  his  return  with  riotous 
festivit}-,  — 

"The  rich,  the  poor,  the  old,  the  young,  agree 
To  celebrate  a  joyful  jubilee ; 
And  to  the  utmost  all  themselves  employ 
To  make  free  demonstrations  of  their  joy. 
Some  quaff  full  goblets  of  the  ricliest  wine, 
And  others  make  the  blazing  bonfires  shine; 
Whilst  the  devout  their  prayers  to  Heaven  sent, 
For  blessings  on  the  king  and  government,"-  — 

in  New  Ensrland  even  the  drinking  of  his  health  was 
forbidden,  and  the  event  was  celebrated  only  amid  the 
coldest   formalities. 

Meanwhile  the  colonists  not  only  declared,  but  openly 
assumed,  their  rights  ;  and  in  consequence  complaints  were 
almost  daily  instituted  by  those  who  were  hostile  to  the 
government.  Political  opinion  was  diversified ;  and  while 
"  a  majorit}'  were  for  sustaining,  with  the  charter,  an  inde- 
pendent government  in  undiminished  force,  a  minority 
were  willing  to  make  some  concessions."  In  the  midst  of 
the  discussions,  John  Norton,  "  a  friend  to  moderate  coun- 
sels," and  Simon  Bradstreet  were  induced  to  go  to  Eng- 
land as  agents  of  the  colony.  Having  been  instructed  to 
convince  the  king  of  the  loyalty  of  the  people  of  Mas- 
Fachnsetts,  and  to  "  engage    to    nothing  prejudicial  to  their 

'  Hutchinson,  Hist.,  i.  19G,  scq.  *  Wolcott,  in  1  M.  H.  Coll.,  iv.  2G2. 


88  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

present  standing  according  to  their  patent,  and  to  endeavor 
the  establishment  of  the  rights  and  privileges  then  en- 
joyed," the  commissioners  sailed  from  Boston  on  the  10th 
of  February,    1G62. 

In  England  they  were  courteously  received  by  King 
Charles,  and  from  him  obtained,  in  a  letter  dated  June 
28,  a  confirmation  of  their  charter,  and  an  amnesty  for 
all  past  offences.  At  the  same  time  the  king  rebuked 
them  for  the  irregularities  which  had  been  complained  of 
in  the  government ;  directed  "  a  repeal  of  all  laws  derog- 
atory to  his  authority ;  the  taking  of  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance ;  the  administration  of  justice  in  his  name  ;  a  con- 
cession of  the  elective  franchise  to  all  freeholders  of 
competent  estate ;  and  as  '  the  principle  of  the  charter 
was  the  freedom  of  the  liberty  of  conscience,'  the  allow- 
ance of  that  freedom  to  those  who  desired  to  use  'the 
booke  of  common  praj^er,  and  perform  their  devotion  in 
tlie   manner   established  in  England.'"^ 

These  requisitions  of  the  king  proved  anything  but 
acceptable  to  the  people  of  Massachusetts.  With  them 
the  question  of  obedience  became  a  question  of  freedom, 
and  gave  rise  to  the  j^arties  which  continued  to  divide 
the  colony  until  the  establishment  of  actual  independence. 
It  was  not  thought  best  to  comply  immediately  with  his 
majesty's  demands ;  on  the  other  hand,  no  refusal  to  do 
so  was  promulgated.  Always  observant  of  the  signs  of 
the  times,  the  government  ceased  not  to  strengthen  itself 
for  a  continuance  of  their  relisfious  institutions  and  their 
democratic  self-reliance. 

Before  long  tidings  reached  England  —  they  were  false, 
of    course  —  that    the   regicides    Goffe   and   Whalley    were 

'  Bancroft,  ii.  75. 


MASSACNl/SErrS  AND   CHARLES  II.  89 

at  the  head  of  an  army,  and  tliat  the  colonies  were 
plotting  for  union  and  independence  from  the  crown.  Even 
the  most  influential  friends  of  America,  including  Lord 
Say  and  Seal,  failed  to  disperse  these  rumors.  "  New 
England  men  are  of  altogether  another  principle,"  said 
Lord  Say  and  Seal.  But  the  words  proved  ineffective. 
The  intercessions  of  Sir  Thomas  Temple,  who  had  resided 
several  years  in  New  England,  and  of  John  Winthrop, 
the  governor  of  Connecticut,  drew  from  Lord  Clarendon, 
the  king's  minister,  a  significant  reply.  "  I  assure  you " 
—  such  is  Clarendon's  message  to  Massachusetts  — "  of 
my  true  love  and  friendship  to  your  country  ;  neither 
in  your  privileges,  charter,  government,  nor  church  dis- 
cipline, shall  you  receive  any  prejudice."  Scarcely  had 
these  words  reached  America  when  the  rumor  followed 
that  royal  commissioners  were  to  be  appointed  to  regu- 
late the  affairs  of  New  England.^ 

Precautionary  measures  Avere  now  taken.  The  patent 
and  a  duplicate  of  the  same  were  delivered  to  a  com- 
mittee of  four,  with  instructions  to  hold  them  in  safe  keep- 
ing. Captain  Davenport,  at  Castle  Fort,  was  ordered  to 
give  early  announcement  of  the  arrival  of  his  majesty's 
ships.  Officers  and  soldiers  were  forbidden  to  land  from 
shij)s,  except  in  small  parties.  Strict  obedience  to  the 
laws  was  enjoined  upon  all  the  people  ;  and  finally,  a  day 
of  fasting  and  prayer  was  appointed  "  to  implore  the 
mercy  of  God  upon  them,  under  their  many  distractions 
and  troubles." 

On  the  2od  of  July,  1G64,  "  about  five  or  six  of  the 
clock  at  night,"  the  "  Guinea,"  followed  by  three  other 
ships  of  the  line,  arrived  in  Boston  harbor.     They  were  well 

'  4  M.  II.  Cull.,  ii.  284. 

12 


90  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

manned  and  equipped  for  the  reduction  of  the  Dutch 
settlements  on  the  Hudson,  and  brought  commissioners  hos- 
tile to  colonial  freedom,  and  who  were  charged  by  the  king 
to  determine  "  all  complaints  and  appeals  in  all  causes 
and  matters,  as  well  military  as  criminal  and  civil,"  and 
to  "  proceed  in  all  things  for  the  providing  for  and  set- 
tling the  peace  and  security  of  the  country,  according  to 
their  good  and  sound  discretions."  Colonel  Richard  Nich- 
ols, and  Colonel  George  Cartwright  were  the  chief  mem- 
bers of  the  commission.  At  the  earliest  possible  moment 
they  produced  their  legal  warrant,  the  king's  letter  of 
April  23,  and  requested  the  assistance  of  the  colonies  in 
the  reduction  of  the  Dutch.  Shortly  afterwards  the  fleet 
set  out  for  New  Netherlands. 

On  the  3d  of  August  the  General  Court  convened, 
and  the  state  of  affairs  was  discussed.  It  was  resolved 
"  to  bear  faith  and  true  allegiance  to  his  majesty,  and 
adhere  to  their  patent,  so  dearly  obtained,  and  so  long 
enjoyed  by  undoubted  right  in  the  sight  of  God  and  men." 
It  was  also  agreed  to  raise  a  force  of  two  hundred  men, 
at  colonial  expense,  to  serve  against  the  Dutch ;  and  mes- 
sengers were  sent  to  inform  the  commissioners  of  these 
proceedings.  In  consequence  of  the  capitulation  of  the 
Dutch,  the  troops  were  not  mustered  into  active  service. 
On  the  same  day  the  king's  letter  of  June  28  was 
debated  upon.i  Although  its  demands  were  thought  to  be 
unreasonable,  it  was  agreed  "  to  modify  the  old  law,  by 
providing  that  all  English  subjects,  being  freeholders,  and 
of  a  competent  estate,  and  certified  b}^  the  ministers  of 
the  place  to  be  orthodox  in  faith,  and  not  vicious  in  their 
lives,   should  be  made   freemen,   although  not  members  of 

'  See  page  88. 


MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES  //.  01 

the  church.'"  ^  Before  the  session  closed,  INIassachusetts 
published  an  order  forbidding  the  making  of  complaints 
to  the  commissioners,  and  prepared  the  following  eloquent 
address  to  the  king  :  — 

"  Dread  Sovereign  :  The  first  undertakers  of  this 
plantation  did  obtain  a  patent,  wherein  is  granted  full  and 
absolute  power  of  governing  all  the  people  of  this  place, 
by  men  chosen  from  among  themselves,  and  according  to 
such  laws  as  they  should  sCe  meet  to  establish.  A  royal 
donation  under  the  great  seal  is  the  greatest  security 
that  may  be  had  in  human  affairs.  Under  the  encourage- 
ment and  security  of  the  royal  charter,  this  people  did, 
at  their  own  charges,  transport  themselves,  their  wives 
and  families,  over  the  ocean,  purchase  the  land  of  the 
natives,  and  plant  this  colony,  with  great  labor,  hazards, 
cost,  and  difficulties  ;  for  a  long  time  wrestling  with  the 
wants  of  a  wilderness  and  the  burdens  of  a  new  plan- 
tation ;  having  also,  now  above  thirty  j-ears,  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  Government  within  themselves,  as  their 
undoubted  right  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man.  To  be 
governed  by  rulers  of  our  own  choosing,  and  lawes  of  our 
own,  is  the  fundamental  privilege  of  our  patent. 

"  A  commission  under  the  great  seal,  wherein  four  per- 
sons (one  of  them  our  professed  enemy)  are  empowered 
to  receive  and  determine  all  complaints  and  appeals  ac- 
cording to  their  discretion,  subjects  us  to  the  arbitrary 
power  of  strangers,  and  will  end  in  the  subversion  of 
our  all.  If  these  things  go  on,  your  subjects  here  will 
either  be  forced  to  sceke  new  dwellings,  or  sink  under 
intolerable   burdens.     The  victor  of  all  new  endeavors  will 

'  Barry,  i.  392.     Hutchinson,  i.  212. 


92  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

be  enfeebled ;  the  king  himself  will  be  a  loser  of  the 
wonted  benefit  by  customs,  exported  and  imported  from 
hence  into  England,  and  this  hopeful  plantation  will  in 
the  issue  be  ruined. 

"  If  the  aime  should  be  to  gratify  some  particular  gen- 
tlemen by  livings  and  revenues  here,  that  will  also  fail, 
for  the  poverty  of  the  people.  If  all  the  charges  of  the 
whole  government  by  the  3'ear  were  put  together,  and 
then  doubled  or  trebled,  it  would  not  be  counted  for  one 
of  those  gentlemen  a  considerable  accommodation.  To  a 
coalition  in  this  course  the  people  will  never  come ;  and 
it  will  be  hard  to  find  another  people  that  will  stand 
under  any  considerable  burden  in  this  country,  seeing  it 
is  not  a  country  where  men  can  subsist  without  hard 
labor  and  great  frugalit3\ 

"  God  knows  our  greatest  ambition  is  to  live  a  quiet 
life,  in  a  corner  of  the  world.  We  came  not  into  this 
wildernesse  to  seek  great  things  to  ourselves ;  and  if  any 
come  after  us  to  seeke  them  heere,  the}'  will  be  dis- 
appointed. We  keep  ourselves  within  our  line,  a  just 
dependence  upon,  and  subjection  to,  your  majestic,  accord- 
ing to  our  charter,  it  is  far  from  our  hearts  to  disac- 
knowledge.  We  would  gladly  do  anything  within  our 
power  to  purchase  the  continuance  of  your  favorable  as- 
pect. But  it  is  a  great  unhappiness  to  have  no  testi- 
mony of  our  lo3'alty  offered  but  this,  to  yield  up  our 
liberties,  which  are  far  dearer  to  us  than  our  lives,  and 
which  we  have  willingly  ventured  our  lives,  and  passed 
through  many  deaths  to  obtain. 

"  It  was  Job's  excellenc}^  when  he  sat  as  king  among 
his  people,  that  he  was  a  father  to  the  poor.  A  poor 
people,    destitute   of  outward    favor,    wealth,    and    power, 


MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES  IT.  93 

now  cry  unto  their  lord  the  king.  May  your  majcstie 
regard  their  cause,  and  maintain  their  right  ;  it  will  stand 
among  the  marks  of  lasting  honor  to  after  generations." 

Such  was  the  substance  of  an  address  full  worthy  of 
its  origin.  The  spirit  of  the  people  corresponded  with  it ; 
and  if  any  dared  to  pay  court  to  the  commissioners,  they 
became  objects  of  derision.  In  February,  IGGo,  three  of 
the  commissioners  returned  to  Boston.  Their  reception 
was  far  from  being  cordial,  and  they  were  not  slow  to 
detect  that  their  presence  in  the  colony  had  stirred  up 
against  themselves  the  hatred  of  the  multitude.  At  Plym- 
outh, whither  they  soon  went,  they  found  little  to 
tempt  their  cupidity  ;  in  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut 
they  met  with  better  success.  Having  in  April  returned 
to  Massachusetts,  they  delivered  five  propositions  to  the 
deputy  governor,  —  Mr.  Endicott,  the  governor,  having 
recently  deceased.  On  the  next  day  was  held  the  annual 
election.  It  proceeded  quietly,  and  Mr.  Bellingham  was 
chosen  to  succeed  Mr.  Endicott,  and  Mr.  Willoughby  was 
appointed  deputy  governor.  On  the  days  immediately  fol- 
lowing, the  commissioners  communicated  all  his  majesty's 
instructions,  and  the  propositions  before  mentioned  were 
laid  before  the  court.  The  discussion  waxed  with  heated 
animation  ;  and  the  commissioners,  finding  themselves  out- 
matched by  the  politicians  of  INIassachusetts,  asked,  "Do 
you  acknowledge  his  majesty's  commission  to  be  of  full 
force  to  all  the  intents  and  purposes  therein  contained?" 
They  received  no  definite   answer  from   the   court. ^ 

The  commissioners  now  resolved  to  take  more  decided 
ground,    and   on    the    23d    of    j\Iay     they   ordered    Joshua 

'   lIutclli^^()n,  i.  i!17,  seq. 


94  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Scottow,  a  Boston  merchant,  to  present  himself  at  the 
house  of  Captain  Breeden,  to  answer  to  the  charges  of 
Thomas  Deane  and  others.  When  the  trial  opened,  a 
herald  from  the  governor  appeared,  sounded  his  trumpet, 
and,  in  the  name  of  the  king,  formally  forbade  any  abet- 
ting the  commissioners.  The  latter  were  astonished ;  the 
magistrates  were  inexorable.  "Since  you  will  misconstrue 
our  endeavors,"  exclaimed  the  commissioners  in  tones  of 
rage,  "  we  shall  not  lose  more  of  our  labor  upon  you." 
So  saying,  they  departed  to  the  north. 

AVhen  King  Charles  heard  of  these  proceedings,  he 
changed  the  scene  of  negotiations  from  Massachusetts  to 
England ;  and  Bellingham  and  Hathorne  were  ordered, 
under  penalty,  not  to  fail  in  their  appearance.  On  the 
11th  of  September,  the  court  convened  for  the  purpose 
of  considering  the  king's  letter  of  April  10.  The  most 
eminent  clergymen  of  the  colony  were  present.  "  Let 
some  regular  way  be  propounded  for  the  debate,"  said 
Belhngham.  "  The  king's  prerogative  gives  him  power 
to  command  our  appearance,"  said  Bradstreet ;  "  before 
God  and  men  we  are  to  obey."  —  "  You  may  have  a  trial 
at  law ;  when  you  come  to  England,  you  ma}^  insist  upon 
it  and  claim  it,"  interposed  a  royalist.  "  We  must  as 
well  consider  God's  displeasure,  as  the  king's,"  remarked 
Willoughby,  "  the  interest  of  ourselves  and  of  God's 
things,  as  his  majesty's  prerogative."  —  "Prerogative  is  as 
necessary  as  law,"  replied  the  artful  royalist.  — "  Prerog- 
ative is  not  above  law,"  retorted  Hathorne.  "  We  have 
already  furnished  our* views  in  writing,  so  that  the  ablest 
persons  among  us  could  not  declare  our  case  more  fully," 
concluded  the  court.^ 

*  Bancroft,  ii.  88. 


MASSACHUSETTS  AND   CHARLES  //.  95 

The  defiance  of  Massachusetts  was  followed  by  no  im- 
mediate danger.  For  a  season  the  contest  with  the 
crown  ceased.  The  king  himself  was  too  much  engaged 
with  his  women  to  bestow  his  attention  upon  matters 
of  state  ;  and  thus,  while  England  was  lamenting  the 
want  of  a  good  government,  the  colonies,  true  to  them- 
selves, their  country,  and  their  God,  flourished  in  purity 
and  peace 


96  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

KING  PHILIP'S  WAR. 

Prior  to  the  year  1675,  four  powerful  tribes  of  Indians 
held  territory  in  New  England.  Of  all  the  tribes,  not 
one  was  more  dreaded  by  the  English  than  the  Narra- 
gansetts,  who  peopled  almost  the  entire  region  which 
forms  the  present  state  of  Rhode  Island,  extending  west 
to  the  Tliames  River  in  Connecticut,  and  northward  to 
the  territory  of  the  Nipmucks.  The  land  of  the  Nip- 
mucks  lay  principally  in  Massachusetts,  about  half  way 
between  Boston  and  the  Connecticut.  Wachusett  Moun- 
tain was  the  favorite  seat  of  the  sachems  of  this  tribe. 
The  Mohegans,  who  had  separated  from  the  Pequots  be- 
fore the  destruction  of  the  latter,  occupied  the  territory 
lying  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  Thames.  The 
Wampanoags  appear  to  have  exercised  sway  over  the 
petty  tiibes  of  the  interior  as  far  west  as  the  Nipmucks, 
while  their  own  territory  extended  from  Massachusetts 
Bay  and  Cape  Cod  through  the  disputed  tracts  north  of 
the  Narragansett  country  to  the  bay  bearing  the  same 
name.  Their  influence  was  courted  or  dreaded  by  all  the 
surrounding  tribes  ;  and  had  they  been  hostile  to  the  Pil- 
grims, instead  of  friendly,  there  would  have  been  small  need, 
probably,  to  write  the  history  of  the  latter.  Besides  these 
ruling  tribes,  there  were  many  smaller  ones,  who  were 
neither  numerous  nor  powerful.     These,  for  the  most  part, 


KING  Pillule's   WAR.  97 

led  a  desultory  life,  being  in  some  cases  dependent  for  their 
very  existence  upon  the  generosity  of  their  neighbors. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  one  avowed  purpose  of  the 
Massachusetts  colonists  in  forsaking  their  native  land  was 
"  the  propagating  and  advancing  of  the  gospel  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  in  these  remote  parts  of  the  world."  To 
unlock  the  mysteries  of  savage  life,  and  to  attempt  the 
conversion  of  the  ignorant  inhabitants  of  New  England, 
became  one  of  the  earliest  duties  of  the  settlers.  The 
Pilgrims  had  labored  in  this  direction ;  and  later,  Roger 
Williams  had  likewise  assumed  the  task.  "  Many  solemn 
discourses,"  says  he,  "  I  have  had  with  all  sorts,  from 
one  end  of  the  country  to  another.  I  know  there  is  no 
small  preparation  in  the  hearts  of  multitudes  of  them.  I 
know  their  many  solemn  confessions  to  myself,  and  one 
to  another,  of  their  lost,  wandering  condition.  I  know 
strong  convictions  upon  the  consciences  of  many  of  them, 
and  their  desires  uttered  that  way.  I  know  not  with 
how  little  knowledge  and  grace  of  Christ  the  Lord  may 
save,  and  therefore  neither  will  despair  nor  report  much."  ^ 
In  1644  an  order  was  passed  in  Massachusetts  that  the 
county  courts  should  "  take  care  that  the  Indians  resid- 
ing in  the  several  shires  should  be  civilized  and  instructed 
in  the  knowledge  and  worship  of  God." 

The  true  Apostle  to  the  Indians,  however,  was  John 
Eliot,  of  Roxbury,  who  is  usually  called  "  the  morning 
star  of  missionary  enterprise,"  in  America.  In  point  of 
time,  indeed,  Mayhew,  of  Nantucket,  preceded  him  in  the 
field,  and  produced  the  first  fruits  of  benevolent  effort 
for  the  conversion  of  the  wild  tribes.  Although  the 
labors     of    the    latter   did    not   spread    over   a   very    wide 

'   1  M.  H.  Coll.,  iii.  20G. 

13 


98  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

region,  they  are  none  the  less  entitled  to  the  commen- 
dation of  the  philanthropist.  John  Eliot  was  a  man 
"justly  famous  in  the  church  of  God,  not  only  as  an 
eminent  Christian  and  an  excellent  minister  among  the 
English,  but  also  as  a  memorable  evangelist  among  the 
Indians  of  New  England  ;  "  and  "  All  who  contemplate," 
says  one  of  his  biographers,  "  his  active  services,  his  be- 
nevolent zeal,  his  prudence,  his  upright  conduct,  and  his 
charity,  are  ready  to  declare  his  memory  precious." 

In  October,  16-46,  on  the  elevated  grounds  east  of  New- 
ton Corner,  Mr.  Eliot  preached  his  first  sermon.  The 
spot  was  afterwards  called  "Nonantum,"  or  "the  place  of 
rejoicing."  Once  begun,  the  good  work  was  continued ; 
and  meetings  were  likewise  held  at  Concord,  Neponset, 
and  at  other  towns  in  the  colony.  One  of  the  first  con- 
victions of  the  evangelist  was,  that  the  civilization  of  the 
Indians  was  a  prerequisite  to  their  Christianization,  and 
his  earlier  efforts  were  accordingly  directed  to  this  end, 
with  no  small  success.  In  his  intercourse  with  the  tribes, 
he  found  them  possessed  of  a  vast  amount  of  natural 
vigor,  shrewdness,  and  deep  penetration.  Oftentimes  his 
auditors  would  propound  questions  which  it  was  not  so 
easy  to  answer.  Said  one,  "  If  a  man  should  be  en- 
closed in  iron  a  foot  thick,  and  then  be  cast  into  the 
fire,  what  would  become  of  his  soul?  Could  it  escape, 
or  not  ? "  Another  inquired,  "  Which  was  made  first,  the 
devil  or  man?"  And  still  others,  "Why  did  not  God 
give  all  men  good  hearts,  that  they  might  be  good  ?  "  — 
"  Why  did  not  God  kill  the  devil,  that  made  all  men 
so  bad,  he  having  all  power  ? "  The  after-life  of  the 
young  was  incomprehensible,  and  they  asked,  "  Where  do 
children  go  when  they  die,  seeing  they  have  not  sinned  ?  " 


KING  PHILIP'S   WAR.  99 

Finally,  "  Wh}^  does  God  punish  in  hell  forever  ?  Man 
doth  not  so,  but  after  a  time  lets  them  out  of  prison 
again.  And  if  they  repent  in  hell,  why  Avill  not  God  let 
them  out  again  ?  "  —  "  Seeing  the  body  sinneth,  why  should 
the  soul  be  punished?  "  And,  "  If  all  the  world  be  burned 
up,  where  shall  hell  be  ?  " 

Through  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Winslow,  who  was  at  this 
time  in  England  as  the  agent  of  the  colony,  a  Society  for 
Propagating  the  Gospel  in  New  England  was  formed  in  1649. 
English  clergymen  "  stirred  up  their  congregations  to  con- 
tribute liberally  to  its  funds  ;  a  correspondence  was  held 
with  the  commissioners  of  the  United  Colonies,  who  were 
emplo3^ed  as  the  agents  of  the  company ;  and  in  a  short  time 
a  sum  yielding  six  hundred  pounds  per  annum  was  raised, 
and  the  proceeds  of  the  same  were  regularly  forwarded  for 
the  purchase  of  clothing,  the  education  of  children,  the 
publication  of  books,  the  maintenance  of  teachers,  and  such 
other  expenses  as  were  incident  to  the  mission  ;  and  these 
funds  were  faithfully  husbanded,  and  sacredly  disbursed 
for  the  purposes  intended."  ^ 

Mr.  Eliot  continued  unremitting  in  his  labors.  At  his 
request  the  people  of  Dedham  granted  to  the  Indians  a  town- 
ship of  about  six  thousand  acres,  where  the  Praying  In- 
dians, so  called,  of  the  vicinity  were  gathered.  This  set- 
tlement afterwards  received  the  name  of  Natick,  or  "  the 
place  of  hills."  In  this  town,  founded  in  1650,  schools  and 
churches  were  established,  a  form  of  government  was  adopt- 
ed, and  education  and  religion  were  zealously  fostered.  The 
Indians,  who  had  settled  here,  devoted  themselves  largely  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  the  women  freely  shared  the  labors 
of  the   men.     "In    the  winter,"  says  a  writer,    "they  dis- 

'  Barry,   i.  355.     Ilutcliinson,  i.  153-15G. 


100  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

posed  of  brooms,  staves,  baskets,  and  turkeys ;  in  the  spring, 
cranberries,  strawberries,  and  fisli ;  in  the  summer,  whortle- 
berries, grapes,  and  fish  ;  and  several  of  them  worked  with 
the  English  in  haj'time  and  harvest."  ^ 

While  thus  engaged,  Mr.  Eliot  undertook  the  task  of 
translating  the  Bible  into  the  dialect  of  the  Indians.  He 
also  prepared  a  Grammar,  Catechisms,  a  Primer,  and  other 
works  of  a  religious  character,  all  of  which  were  printed  by 
the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel.  In  1661r  was  erect- 
ed the  "  Indian  College,"  at  Cambridge,  which  was  furnished 
with  accommodations  for  twenty  scholars.  Three  years  later, 
two  Indian  churches  were  gathered  in  the  colony,  and  four- 
teen Praying  towns  were  settled.  And  thus  the  good  work 
went  on,  until  it  met  with  a  serious  interruption  in  the  war 
with  Philip.  Already  many  had  begun  "  to  doubt  the  suc- 
cess of  the  enterprise,  and  some  openly  contemned  it." 
"  If  the  value  of  an  enterprise,"  says  Barry,  "  is  to  be  meas- 
ured by  its  success,  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  must  be 
regarded  as  a  failure.  The  race  itself  has  dwindled  away, 
leaving  behind  few  tokens  of  its  presence  in  the  country  ; 
and  nearly  all  that  remains  to  remind  us  of  the  genius  and 
exertions  of  Eliot  are  the  few  scattered  books  which  have 
descended  to  us  from  the  past,  as  unintelligible  as  the  in- 
scriptions upon  the  obelisk  of  Luxor ;  yet,  like  tliat,  they  are 
memorials  of  the  labors  of  man,  and  impressive  and  instruc- 
tive are  the  lessons  they  teach." ^  From  this  pleasing  pic- 
ture of  the  honest  efforts  of  our  fathers,  we  must  now  turn 
to  one  of  the  saddest  episodes  in  the  history  of  New  Eng- 
land. There  is  but  small  need  of  repeating  the  assertion, 
for  the  annals  of  this  country  have  already  proven  its  truth, 
that  two    peoples,    essentially  unlike,    cannot    long    coexist 

'  Homer,  in  1  M.  H.   Coll.,  v.  2G0.  *  Hist.,  i.  3G0 


KING  PHILIP'S    WAR.  101 

without  frequent  collisions.  In  this  light  it  may  almost  be 
said  that  at  the  very  moment  when  the  English  gained  a 
footing  in  America,  the  doom  of  the  red  race  was  sealed. 

Philip  of  Mount  Hope  is  one  of  the  few  Indian  chiefs 
who  are  acknowledged  by  the  white  man  to  have  been 
truly  great.  As  the  years  lengthen  out  their  span,  so  does 
his  fame  increase.  A  century  and  a  half  ago  he  was  stig- 
matized by  the  historian  and  divine  as  a  rebel,  a  murderer, 
a  monster  accursed  of  God  and  man.  Fifty  years  later,  the 
descendants  of  those  who  had  quartered  his  lifeless  remains, 
and  sold  his  child  into  the  burning  slavery  of  the  tropics,  read 
the  story  of  his  misfortunes  with  sorrow,  and  found  in  it  ex- 
cuse for  the  evils  he  inflicted  upon  their  fathers.  Now, 
Philip  is  regarded  as  a  hero  and  a  patriot,  to  whom  all  our 
sympathies  would  be  given,  were  it  not  that  he  waged  war 
against  our  own  ancestors. 

After  the  death  of  Alexander,  the  son  and  the  successor 
of  Massasoit,  Philip,  his  brother,  became  sachem  of  the  Wam- 
panoags.  Like  his  predecessors,  he  established  his  residence 
at  Mount  Hope,  where  he  conducted  all  his  affairs,  and  made 
treaties  with  adjoining  tribes  in  favor  of  the  colonists.  It 
is  unnecessary  to  conceal  the  fact  that,  m  his  dealings  with 
the  English,  justice  was  not  always  extended  towards  the 
aged  chief.  Whosoever  possesses  a  human  soul  is  not  slow 
to  awaken  to  a  sense  of  danger.  Philip  and  his  warriors 
read  their  doom  in  the  faces  of  the  white  men  ;  and  they 
were  wise  enough  to  endeavor  to  intercept  it. 

It  was  in  1G70,  or  thereabouts,  that  the  people  of  Mas- 
sachusetts began  to  suspect  that  Philip  of  Mount  Hope  Avas 
preparing  to  break  that  friendship  which,  eight  years  before, 
he  had  pledged  with  the  colonists  at  Plymouth.  It  was  even 
rumored  that  he  was  about  to  begin  hostilities,  that   meet- 


102  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ings  of  his  tribe  were  being  frequently  held,  and  that  all 
of  his  warriors  were  grinding  their  hatchets  for  a  general 
conflict.  Several  wanton  murders,  which  were  committed 
about  this  time,  seemed  to  confirm  these  rumors,  and  roused 
the  English  to  speedy  action.  At  an  interview  which  took 
place  shortly  afterwards,  for  the  adjustment  of  grievances, 
Philip  scoffed  the  notion  of  war,  and,  as  pledges  of  his 
fidelity,  proffered  the  surrender  of  all  his  English  arms  to 
the  government  at  Plymouth.  A  three  years'  peace  followed 
this  event ;  but  it  was  only  the  transient  calm  which  pre- 
cedes the  outbreak  of  a  tempest. 

In  these  years  of  quiet  Philip  matured  all  his  plans  ;  and 
in  1675  the  war  began,  directly  caused,  it  is  said,  by  the 
murder  of  one  Sassamon,  of  the  Massachusetts  tribe.  It 
was  Sassamon  who  first  communicated  Philip's  hostile  in- 
tentions to  the  governor  of  Plymouth,  and  thus,  it  is  sup- 
posed, incurred  the  vengeance  of  the  chief.  In  the  spring 
of  1675  Sassamon  suddenly  disappeared,  and  a  few  days 
later  his  body  was  found  under  the  ice  in  Assawomset 
Pond,  near  Middleborough.  An  Indian,  friendly  to  the  Eng- 
lish, represented  that  he  had  himself  beheld  one  of  Philip's 
men  commit  the  deed.  At  a  meeting  of  the  court  in  June, 
three  Indians,  instead  of  one,  were  arraigned  for  the  mur- 
der;  and  being  adjudged  guilty,  they  were  put  to  death. 
This  affair  was  the  signal  for  war,  at  the  prospect  of  which 
the  Plymouth  people  rejoiced,  imagining  that  there  would 
be  little  difficulty  in  driving  the  "  Canaanites  "  from  the 
land.  It  was  not  till  Philip  had  convinced  them  that  he 
was  not  the  weak  savage  they  supposed  him  to  be,  that  they 
began  to  perceive  how  serious  was  the  contest. 

Hostilities  commenced  at  once.  On  the  20th  of  June, 
1675,  a  band  of  Indians   fell   upon  the   town    of   Swanzey, 


KING  PHILIP'S  WAR.  103 

fired  several  houses,  but  shed  no  blood.  Like  wildfire  the 
tidings  of  the  attack  spread  through  the  colony.  The  roads 
were  crowded  Avith  fugitives  "  wringing  their  hands  and  be- 
wailing their  losses."  On  the  24tli,  while  the  congregation 
were  returning  home  frorfi  church,  tlic  Indians  again  sur- 
rounded the  town.  Whilst  the  flames  rolled  onward  from 
house  to  house,  nine  of  the  inhabitants  fell  victims  to  the 
savages.  Upon  the  bodies  of  six  the  Indians  "  exercised 
more  than  brutish  barbarities,  beheading,  dismembering,  and 
mangling  them,  and  exposing  them  in  the  most  inhuman 
manner."  Four  days  later  a  Plymouth  force  under  the 
command  of  Major  James  Cudworth  arrived  at  Swanzcy, 
where  they  were  joined  by  companies  from  Massachusetts 
under  the  commands  of  Captain  Henchman  and  Captain 
Prentice.  The  house  of  Mr.  Miles  was  chosen  as  the  head- 
quarters. It  was  situated  near  a  bridge  thrown  across  the 
inlet  on  which  the  town  is  built,  and  which  affords  an  easy 
access  from  the  Plymouth  colony  to  Mount  Hope. 

On  the  30th  the  whole  army  marched  direct  to  Mount 
Hope  for  the  purpose  of  dislodging  Philip  from  his  position. 
Great  was  their  astonishment  upon  finding  that  the  wig- 
wams had  all  been  deserted,  and  that  the  chief,  with  his 
canoes,  arms,  and  provisions,  had  made  good  his  escape. 
Many  of  the  English  now  entertained  the  hope  that  the  war 
was  ended,  while  others  indulged  grateful  reflections  on  the 
prowess  which  had  so  speedily  delivered  the  country  of  its 
most  formidable  enemy.  It  was  the  opinion  of  Captain 
Benjamin  Church  that  the  war  was  not  yet  over. 

Having  returned  from  Mount  Hope,  the  army  paused 
a  while  in  the  swamp  of  Pocasset,  and  there  divided,  —  the 
Plymouth  forces  crossing  over  into  Rhode  Island,  and  the 
Massachusetts    troops    returning    to    Swanzey.      In    July   a 


104  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS: 

treaty  was  concluded  with  the  Narragansetts,  who  delivered 
hostages  as  a  pledge  of  their  fidelity.  Then  followed  the 
intelligence  that  the  whereabouts  of  PhiHp  had  been  dis- 
covered, and  that  a  detachment  of  Plymouth  troops,  under 
the  command  of  Church,  had  set  out  in  pursuit.  The  whole 
army  advanced  to  his  assistance,  and  on  the  19th  an  attack 
was  opened  in  the  swamp  at  Pocasset.  This  swamp  was 
seven  miles  long,  and  so  dense  as  to  be  almost  impenetra- 
ble. Skirting  it  were  one  hundred  wigwams,  which  had  just 
been  abandoned.  As  the  soldiers  entered,  they  were  greeted 
by  a  heavy  fire.  Trees  were  mistaken  for  Indians,  and  or- 
ders were  neglected  or  misunderstood.  Until  sunset  the 
conflict  endured,  when  Cudworth,  deeming  it  useless  to  fight 
longer,  ordered  a  retreat.  If  the  army  had  pushed  on- 
ward at  least  an  hour  longer,  Philip  "  would  have  been 
compelled  to  surrender,  and  the  war  would  have  ended." 
As  it  was,  Philip  escaped  safely  from  Pocasset,  and  an- 
nounced his  good  fortune  in  an  attack  on  Taunton. 

On  the  1st  of  August  the  contending  parties  met  once 
more  on  Seekonk  Plain.  In  an  engagement  which  took 
place,  the  people  of  Rehoboth,  headed  by  their  pastor,  fought 
nobly.  Notwithstanding  that  the  strength  of  the  English 
was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  a  party  of  Mohegans  under 
Uncas,  the  main  body  of  Philip's  men  eluded  pursuit,  and 
fled  into  the  country  of  the  Nipmucks.  In  the  preceding 
month  Captain  Hutchinson  had  been  despatched,  by  the 
authorities  at  Boston,  for  the  purpose  of  treating  with  this 
tribe.  On  Sunday,  the  1st  of  August,  accompanied  by  Cap- 
tain Wheeler,  of  Concord,  and  others,  he  arrived  before 
Quaboag,  now  Brookfield.  Finding  no  Indians,  lie  marched 
on  to  Momimimissit,  five  miles  beyond,  where  the  war- 
whoop  gave  him  his  first  intimation  of  danger.     Two  hun- 


k'LVG   PHILIP'S   WAP.  105 

dred  Indians  fired  upon  his  troo])s  from  all  directions.  The 
swamp  seemed  on  fire  with  the  continnous  discharges  ;  the 
rocks  echoed  back  the  reports  of  musketry  and  the  yells  of 
the  savages,  while  around  the  bewildered  colonists  balls 
ploughed  up  the  ground  and  whistled  like  hail.  Eight  men 
fell  dead  at  the  first  fire,  and  others,  including  Hutchinson, 
were  mortally  wounded.  AVith  the  enemy  swarming  in  the 
thicket,  the  English  hurried  towards  Brookfield,  and  sought 
shelter  in  a  large  house  situated  upon  a  hill.  For  two  days 
this  building  was  besieged.  Filling  a  cart  Avith  hemp,  the 
Indians  set  the  whole  on  fire,  and  pushed  it  towards  the 
garrison  ;  but  the  flames  were  extinguished  by  a  shower  of 
rain.  Still  sure  of  their  pre}",  the  savages  taunted  their  pris- 
oners, sung  the  death-song,  and  danced  the  scalp-dance.  On 
the  evening  of  the  4tli,  forty-one  men,  commanded  by  Major 
Willard,  arrived  at  the  scene.  Without  loss  of  time  the  bat- 
tle was  renewed  ;  the  savages  retired  with  sudden  yells  of 
rage  and  mortification,  and  after  completing  the  desolation 
of  the  town,  they  secreted  themselves  in  the  woods. 

Meanwhile  the  Indians  in  the  forests  bordering  upon  the 
Connecticut  River,  whither  Philip  himself  had  been  driven, 
were  scanning  with  evil  eyes  the  weak  and  scattered  settle- 
ments in  that  region.  On  the  1st  of  September,  Hadley  was 
surprised  whilst  all  the  people  were  at  church,  and  fired  in 
several  places.  At  a  critical  moment,  a  man,  whom  nobody 
had  noticed  before,  venerable  in  his  aspect,  calm  in  his  de- 
meanor, and  of  noble  daring,  hurried  to  the  front,  and  called 
upon  the  villagers  to  follow  him.  Roused  from  their  wonder 
at  his  first  appearance,  the  men  renewed  the  fight,  and 
pressed  forward  to  charge  the  enemy.  The  Indians  broke 
and  fled  ;  and  in  the  hurry  of  pursuit  the  benefactor  of 
Iladley  departed,  no  one  knew  whither.  Not  until  many 
14 


106  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

years  had  elapsed  was  it  known  that  this  brave  commander 
was  Colonel  Goffe,  the  regicide.  On  the  same  day  the  In- 
dians attacked  Deerfield,  and  nearly  destroyed  the  town  ; 
and  three  days  later,  North  field  experienced  the  same  fate. 
In  an  engagement  which  took  place  at  Deerfield  on  the 
18th,  the  victory  was  with  the  far  more  numerous  savages. 
There  was  scarcely  a  family  in  Essex  which  did  not  lose  a 
member,  and  that  member  its  pride  and  hope.  Hardly  a 
white  man  escaped.  The  murmuring  brook  which  winds 
through  the  tranquil  scene  bears  to  this  day  a  name  which 
commemorates  the  most  terrible  disaster  which  New  England 
had  yet  seen. 

In  proportion  as  the  colonists  were  depressed,  the  Indians 
were  encouraged.  The  Springfield  Indians,  who  had  hitherto 
remained  faithful,  now  joined  Philip,  admitted  three  hundred 
of  his  warriors  into  their  fort,  and  plotted  the  destruction  of 
the  town.  On  the  4th  of  October,  the  savages,  having  fallen 
upon  the  place,  succeeded  in  burning  upwards  of  sixty  houses. 
By  the  arrival  of  Major  Treat  and  others,  they  were  repulsed 
and  forced  to  seek  shelter  in  the  woods.  Two  weeks  later 
the  Indians  suffered  another  defeat  at  Hatfield.  Exasperated 
with  rage,  they  exposed  themselves  with  their  customary  im- 
prudence, and  their  loss  was  heavy.  This  affair  was  of  im- 
mense importance  to  the  colonists.  It  encouraged  them  to 
face  the  foe  boldly,  and  inspired  confidence  in  their  leaders. 
The  Indians  attempted  no  enterprise  of  importance  through- 
out the  remainder  of  the  season  ;  but  deeming  discretion 
their  better  part,  they  withdrew  for  the  winter  into  the 
swamps. 

Although  the  war  had  already  been  carried  on  through  four 
months,  there  had  not  as  yet  been  taken  any  measures  for 
concerted  action.     Hitherto  the  English  had  proceeded  main- 


KING  PHILIP'S   WAR.  107 

ly  oil  the  defensive.  On  the  9th  of  September,  commission- 
ers from  the  three  principal  colonies  assembled  at  Boston,  and 
"  fully  concurred  in  the  rig-hteousnoss  of  the  present  war  with 
the  barbarous  natives,"  and  ordered  one  thousand  troops  to 
be  raised  without  delay.  Of  these  troops  Massachusetts  fur- 
nished more  than  half.  A  commander-in-chief  was  appointed 
for  each  colony,  and  he  was  entitled  to  the  supreme  com- 
mand over  the  united  forces,  whenever  their  field  of  opera- 
tions lay  wdthin  the  colony  by  which  he  had  been  chosen. 
On  the  2d  of  November,  the  commissioners  reassembled.  In 
the  belief  that  the  Narragansetts  would  join  Philip  in  the 
spring,  a  winter  campaign  was  proposed.  A  declaration  of 
war  was  made,  in  which  the  Narragansetts  were  accused  of 
being  "  deeply  accessory  in  the  present  bloody  outrages  of 
the  bloody  natives."  To  this  charge  were  added  others  — 
that  they  had  killed  the  cattle  of  the  colonists,  and  had,  when 
news  of  the  disaster  at  Hadley  arrived,  "  in  a  very  reproach- 
ful and  blasphemous  manner  rejoiced  thereat." 

Eaily  in  December  the  ^Massachusetts  troops  under  Major 
Appleton  set  out  for  the  country  of  the  Narragansetts.  On 
the  12th  they  were  joined  by  the  Plymouth  fofces  under 
Major  Bradford ;  and  crossing  the  Patuxet  and  marching 
onward,  they  rendezvoused  at  Mr.  Smith's,  in  Warwick.  A 
series  of  skirmishes  was  a  prelude  to  the  general  attack.  On 
the  18th,  the  Connecticut  troops  under  Major  Treat  arrived 
and  united  with  those  of  Massachusetts  and  Plymouth.  The 
whole  army  was  now  together,  and  numbered  nearly  one 
thousand  English  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  Mohegans.  All 
night  long  the  men  remained  in  the  open  air,  encouraged  by 
the  prospect  of  final  success. 

At  daybreak  the  troops  marched  through  the  trackless 
snow  for  the  Narragansett  fort,  and  soon  came  "  upon  the 


108  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

edge  of  t]ie  swamp,  where  their  guide  assured  them  they 
should  find  Indians  enough  before  night."  Scarcely  had  they 
arrived  within  range  of  the  fort,  when  a  terrible  volley  of 
niusketr3^  was  fired  upon  them.  A  desperate  struggle  ensued. 
The  soldiers,  maddened  at  the  sight  of  their  dead  and  dying 
companions,  breasted  the  bristling  rows  of  muskets,  and 
pushed  each  other  up  the  enclosure,  while  the  Indians 
poured  from  the  house,  the  hedge,  the  palisade,  an  uninter- 
rupted stream  of  death.  Discipline  prevailed ;  the  savages 
were  driven  from  their  flank  j)osition,  and  the  colonists  at 
length  secured  to  themselves  a  place  of  shelter  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  enclosure.  On  a  sudden  the  wigwams  were  all 
ablaze,  and  the  flames  soon  enveloped  the  wide  space  in  a 
sea  of  fire.  Abandoning  all  hope,  terrified  by  the  whistling 
of  shot  and  the  shouts  of  command,  the  warriors  shrunk 
closer  towards  each  other,  and  springing  upon  the  enemy's 
pieces  like  wild  beasts,  fought  hand  to  hand  in  the  madness 
of  revenge.  The  din  of  battle  was  mingled  with  the  screams 
of  women  and  children  roasting  in  the  flames.  Some  flung 
tlieir  arms  to  heaven  and  cried  for  mercy :  but  their  prayers 
were  unanswered.  Where  the  conflict  raged,  quarter  was 
neither  asked  nor  given.  When  night  at  length  put  an  end 
to  the  slaughter,  the  shattered  remnant  of  the  Narragansett 
warriors  retired  into  a  neighboring  swamp,  and  the  troops 
returned  to  headquarters.  In  this  encounter  three  hundred 
Indian  warriors  were  killed,  and  seven  hundred  were  wound- 
ed. The  loss  of  the  English  was  eighty  killed,  including  some 
of  their  ablest  officers,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  wounded. 

The  power  of  the  tribe  was  broken  ;  but  Canonchet,  their 
sachem,  did  not  droop  under  the  disaster.  "  We  will  fight 
to  the  last  man,"  said  he,  "  rather  than  become  servants  to 
the  English ;  "  and    he    remained  true  to  his  word.     From 


KING  rniLir's  war.  I09 

this  time  onward  the  war  \\as  characterized  hy  the  most 
frightful  barbarities,  and  the  weapons  of  cruelty  were  sel- 
dom at  rest. 

The  English  retreated  from  the  Narragansett  countr}-,  and 
reached  their  camp  unmolested  by  the  enemy.  Numbers 
perished  by  the  Avay  ;  those  of  the  wounded  who  survived 
were  frozen  stiff  as  the  dead.  On  examination,  four  hundred 
were  found  to  be  unfit  for  duty.  In  this  condition,  and  des- 
titute of  provisions,  they  awaited  with  gloomy  forebodings 
the  arrival  of  the  supplies  which  had  been  forwarded.  Star- 
vation stared  them  in  the  face.  Although  exhausted  by  the 
campaign,  the  troops  were  neither  disheartened  nor  disposed 
to  remain  idle.  At  the  beginning  of  the  new  year,  Philip  and 
his  Indians  withdrew  into  the  country  of  the  Nipmucks. 
His  route  was  marked  by  devastation  and  cruelty.  The 
army,  re-enforced  by  three  hundred  fresh  troops,  pursued 
them  as  far  as  Marlborough,  whence,  being  in  want  of  provis- 
ions, they  returned  to  Boston.  Taking  advantage  of  their 
departure,  the  Narragansetts,  the  Nipmucks,  the  Quaboag 
and  River  Indians,  and  the  remnant  of  Philip's  tribe,  effected 
a  juncture.  Thus  combined,  they  fell,  on  the  lOtli  of  Febru- 
ary, 1676,  upon  the  town  of  Lancaster.  Houses  were  fired 
in  every  locality,  and  the  Indians  captured  or  killed  all 
who  attempted  to  escape.  Forty-two  of  the  inhabitants,  of 
every  age  and  both  sexes,  sought  refuge  in  the  house  of.  Mr. 
Rowlandson,  their  pastor.  This  house  stood  upon  the  edge 
of  the  hill  on  which  the  greater  part  of  the  present  town 
is  built.  From  their  secure  position  the  savages  poured  a 
shower  of  musketry  upon  the  house.  Several  of  the  men 
within  had  already  been  wounded,  but  those  who  still  sur- 
vived fought  on  steadily  for  more  tlian  an  hour.  At  length 
the  building  caught  fire,  and  the  fliimes  were  soon  crackling 


110  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  tossing  over  the  heads  of  the  devoted  garrison.  Every 
avenue  of  escape  was  closed.  No  help  appeared  in  any  quar- 
ter ;  and  the  alternative  alone  remained  of  dying  in  the  blaze 
or  of  surrendering  to  a  merciless  foe. 

"  Some  in  our  house,"  says  Mrs.  Rowlandson,  "  were  fight- 
ing for  their  lives,  while  others  were  wallowing  in  their  blood, 
the  house  being  on  fire  over  our  heads,  and  the  bloody  sav- 
ages Avere  standing  ready  to  bury  the  tomahawk  in  our  heads 
if  we  stirred  out.  Now  we  could  hear  mothers  and  children 
crying  out,  '  Lord,  what  shall  we  do  ?  '  I  took  my  children, 
and  one  of  my  sisters  hers,  to  go  out  and  leave  the  house  ; 
but  as  soon  as  we  made  our  appearance  at  the  door,  the  In- 
dians fired  so  fast  that  the  bullets  rattled  against  the  house  as 
if  one  had  taken  a  handful  of  stones  and  thrown  them,  so 
that  we  were  forced  to  give  back."  The  garrison  now  fled 
from  the  burning  mass  only  to  fall  victims  to  a  bloody  thirst. 
Mrs.  Rowlandson  was  shot  in  the  side,  and  two  of  her  chil- 
dren were  put  to  death.  "  My  eldest  sister,"  she  continues 
in  her  sad  narrative,  "  being  yet  in  the  house,  seeing  Indians 
hauling  mothers  one  way  and  children  another,  and  some 
wallowing  in  their  blood,  and  being  told  that  her  son  William 
was  dead,  and  that  I  was  wounded,  she  exclaimed,  '  Lord, 
let  me  die  with  them.'  No  sooner  had  she  said  this,  than 
she  was  struck  with  a  bullet,  and  fell  down  dead  over  the 
threshold.  The  Indians  now  laid  hold  on  us,  pulling  me  one 
way  and  the  children  another,  saying,  '  Come,  go  along  with 
us.'  I  told  them  that  they  would  kill  me.  They  said  that 
if  I  was  willing  to  go  along  with  them,  they  would  not  hurt 
me."  For  the  sake  of  truth  it  ought  to  be  said  that  the  In- 
dians treated  their  prisoners  kindly.  Among  the  latter  was 
Mrs.  Rowlandson,  who  was  afterwards  exchanged,  and  wrote 
an  interesting  account  of  her  captivity. 


KIXG   PHlLir'S   WAR.  HI 

On  the  21st  of  February  a  party  of  Indians  attacked  the 
town  of  Medfield,  destroyed  nearly  half  of  the  houses,  and 
murdered  about  twenty  of  the  inhabitants.  Weymouth  like- 
wise suffered  on  the  24th  ;  and  on  INIarch  2,  Groton  was 
almost  wholly  destroyed.  The  theatre  of  war  was  now  trans- 
ferred to  the  western  frontier,  and  at  Northampton  the  In- 
dians suffered  a  signal  defeat.  Almost  at  the  same  time, 
depredations  were  renewed  in  the  Plymouth  colony,  and  a 
violent  assault  was  made  upon  Plj^mouth  itself.  On  the  26th 
of  March,  Captain  Pierce,  of  Scituate,  wdth  a  force  of  about 
seventy  men,  arrived  at  a  crossing-place  on  the  Pawtucket 
River,  not  far  from  the  falls.  Adjacent  to  this  spot  was  a 
pass  since  known  as  Attleboro'  Gore.  Shortly  "  a  small 
number  of  the  enemy  was  seen,  who  in  desperate  subtlety 
ran  away  from  them,  and  they  went  limping  to  make  the 
English  believe  they  w^ere  lame."  ^  The  stratagem  succeed- 
ed. Pierce  gave  pursuit,  and  when  too  late  saw  that  he  had 
fallen  into  a  fatal  snare.  Placed  between  two  fires,  the  colo- 
nists were  mowed  down  with  fearful  rapidity.  Hope  was 
succeeded  by  disappointment,  and  then  by  despair  ;  for  it 
soon  appeared  that  the  heroic  defence  of  Pierce  and  his  men 
served  only  to  defer  for  a  few  hours  the  period  of  slaughter. 
The  action  drew  to  a  close  ;  one  hundred  of  the  enemy  had 
fallen ;  not  one  of  the  Plymouth  troops  escaped.  The  de- 
struction of  Pierce  and  his  gallant  force  was  the  greatest 
calamity  which  befell  the  Plymouth  colony  during  the  war. 
The  burning  of  Seekonk  and  of  Providence  speedily  fol- 
lowed, and  once  more  the  Indians  were  masters  of  the  situ- 
ation. 

The  government,  counting  so  many  reverses,  scarcely  knew 
what  to  do.     A  council  of  war  was   convened,  and  orders 

'  Mather,  25.     Baylies,  ii. 


112  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

were  given  for  the  raising  of  fresh  troops.  IMeanwhile  those 
already  in  the  field  remained  active.  On  the  21st  of  April, 
"  one  of  the  most  memorable  fights  in  the  annals  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts colony  "  was  commenced  in  an  attack  on  Sudbury. 
The  Indians  numbered  fifteen  hundred  warriors,  while  the 
force  of  the  English  was  comparatively  small.  The  fight  was 
severe,  and  ended  in  a  complete  victory  for  the  former.  The 
brave  Captain  Wadsworth,  of  Milton,  here  found  his  death  ; 
most  of  his  men  were  either  killed  or  taken  prisoners,  and 
only  a  very  few  of  their  companions  escaped  to  tell  the  tale. 
Although  the  Indians  withdrew  without  much  injury  from  the 
struggle,  they  were  soon  reduced  to  great  suffering.  Starva- 
tion threatened  them  on  all  sides,  and  engendered  diseases 
made  fearful  ravages  among  them.  This  miserable  condition 
saved  many  a  town  from  attack,  and  contributed  in  no  small 
degree  to  the  ultimate  ruin  of  Philip.  I\Iany  also  of  the 
allied  tribes  began  to  devise  measures  to  effect  separate  trea- 
ties with  the  colonists,  with  the  hope  that  by  so  doing  they 
would  receive  that  mercy  which  was  denied  by  the  colonial 
governments  to  prisoners  taken  in  arms.  Numbers  deserted 
Philip,  and  retired  to  the  north,  while  those  who  passed  over 
to  the  English  sought  by  every  means  to  induce  others  to 
follow  their  example,  hoping  thereby  to  save  their  own  lives. 
Hence  Philip's  cause,  at  the  time  when  it  might  have  been 
most  flourishing,  was  falling  to  pieces,  and  success,  so  long 
wavering  between  the  parties,  inclined  towards  the  colonists. 
On  the  18th  of  May  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  raised  in 
the  towns  of  Hadley,  Hatfield,  and  Northampton,  under  the 
command  of  Captains  Turner  and  Holyoke,  marched  to  the 
upper  falls  of  the  Connecticut,  where  the  Indians  were  en- 
camped. Upon  arriving,  they  dismounted  in  silence,  fastened 
their  horses,  and  proceeded  cautiously.     The  savages  were 


KING  rilllJP'S    WAR.  113 

sunk  in  deei")  slumber  ;  no  scouts  were  abroad  ;  no  watch  bad 
been  set.  The  assailants  took  deliberate  aim.  The  survivors 
sprang  to  their  feet,  and  in  the  dim  twilight  friend  could  not 
be  distinguished  from  foe.  "  The  Mohawk  !  the  Mohawk  !  " 
was  the  dreaded  name  echoed  from  every  mouth ;  some 
sprang  into  the  river  and  v/ere  drowned  ;  others  leaped  into 
their  canoes  and  were  carried  over  the  falls ;  and  all  who  fled 
were  pursued,  and  immediately  cut  down.  Victor}-  had  de- 
clared for  the  English,  and  "  a  great  and  notable  slaughter 
was  made  amongst "  the  enemy.  On  the  return  mtirch  the 
former  were  attacked  by  a  large  body  under  the  command  of 
Philip  himself,  and  suffered  a  loss  of  thirty-eight  of  their 
number,  among  whom  was  Captain  Turner,  "  whose  name  is 
perpetuated  in  that  of  the  beautiful  falls  near  which  his 
corpse  was  afterwards  found." 

At  length  the  distress  of  the  Indians  and  the  misery  of 
their  condition  became  known  in  the  colonial  councils,  and 
the  occasion  was  seized  by  these  bodies  to  invite  the  enemy 
to  accept  of  peace.  In  July  vast  numbers  of  the  latter  came 
in  and  surrendered.  Others  chose  to  remain  in  the  destitute 
condition  in  which  they  were  placed,  and  roamed  through 
the  woods  in  small  parties,  searching  for  berries,  and  digging 
up  the  earth  for  roots  and  ground-nuts.  Often  they  wan- 
dered two  or  three  days  without  tasting  food.  Loathsome 
animals  —  toads,  frogs,  tortoises,  and  foxes  —  were  relished 
as  a  feast ;  and  when  even  these  could  not  be  obtained,  they 
peeled  the  soft  inner  bark  from  trees,  and  chewed  it  with 
greediness.  Sometimes  the  mother  fell  down  in  the  thick 
woods  with  her  babe  and  expired,  while  the  famished  crew 
whom  she  had  followed  continued  their  wanderings  onward, 
expecting  soon  to  share  her  fate. 

Rallying  a  few  chosen  men  around  him,  Philip  fled  to 
15 


114  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Mount  Hope.  "  It  seemed  as  though  his  evil  destiny  had 
overtaken  him,  and  that  the  day  of  his  destruction  was  at 
hand,  and  that  in  future  he  was  to  be  hunted  through  the 
woods  like  a  wild  beast,  by  open  enemies  and  treacherous 
friends."  Mournfully  he  reflected  on  his  losses,  and,  as  a 
bird  startled  and  driven  from  her  nest  and  flying  about  be- 
wildered, he  sighed  for  that  safety  he  knew  not  where  to 
find.  Soon  the  entire  force  of  the  colonies  had  gathered 
upon  his  track,  and  surrounded  his  place  of  refuge.  During 
the  pursuit,  the  sachem's  wife  and  child  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  English.  By  Captain  Church  they  were  sent  to 
Bridgewater,  and  thence  to  Plymouth.  "  ]\Iy  heart  breaks," 
murmured  Philip,  after  learning  of  this  misfortune.  The 
Indians  were  now  totally  disheartened  ;  nor  can  we  wonder 
that  it  was  so.  Whither  should  they  flee  ?  And  yet  flee 
they  must,  or  be  taken  by  their  foes.  Dark  indeed  was  the 
prospect  before  Philip  and  the  few  who  still  adhered  to  his 
fortunes. 

Meanwhile  Church,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  constant 
exposure  to  the  weather,  returned  to  Plymouth.  It  was  his 
desire  to  abandon  military  operations ;  but  this  the  govern- 
ment would  not  permit  him  to  do.  In  obedience  to  their 
exhortation,  Church  prepared  for  another  expedition.  As 
usual,  he  raised  his  own  forces,  volunteers  joined  him  in  con- 
siderable numbers,  and  he  again  marched,  with  the  hope  of 
capturing  Philip,  to  Pocasset.  The  swamp  in  which  Philip 
was  concealed  '*  was  a  fit  retreat  for  a  despairing  man,  being 
one  of  those  waste  and  dismal  places  to  which  few  ever  wan- 
dered, covered  with  rank  and  dense  vegetation.  The  place 
was  well  suited  to  awake  all  the  terrors  of  the  imagination  ; 
to  an}^  eye  but  that  of  the  savage,  it  was  like  the  '  valley  of 
the  shadow  of  death  ; '  the  cypress  and  oak  trees  hung  heavy 


KIATi   PHILIP'S  WAR.  115 

and  still  over  the  accursed  soil ;  the  faint  gleam  of  the  pools 
and  sluggish  lakes  on  every  side,  in  the  starliglit,  and  the 
howl  of  the  wolf,  fitfull}',  as  if  it  warned  that  the  hour  was 
nigh."  1  On  the  12th  of  August,  Church  arranged  his  men 
so  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  for  Philip  to  escape.  At  this 
moment  a  single  shot  was  heard  in  the  distance,  and  a  ball 
whistled  through  the  air  over  their  heads.  Church  supposed 
that  it  had  been  fired  by  accident ;  but  before  he  could  speak 
an  entire  volley  was  discharged.  The  battle  had  begun. 
Philip,  unexpectedly  aroused,  throwing  his  belt  and  powder- 
horn  over  his  head,  seized  his  gun  and  fled.  Unaware  of  the 
ambush,  he  ran  directly  towards  two  of  Church's  men.  When 
he  was  quite  near,  the  colonist  levelled  his  gun,  but  it  missed 
fire.  He  bade  the  Indian  fire,  which  he  did  with  effect. 
Philip  of  jNIount  Hope,  the  bravest  of  braves,  and  the  most 
merciless  of  foes,  fell  pierced  to  the  heart.  Captain  Church, 
forgetting  that  the  honor  of  the  conqueror  is  measured  by 
that  allotted  to  his  foe,  exclaimed  that,  "  forasmuch  as  he  had 
caused  many  an  Englishman's  body  to  be  unburied,  and  to 
rot  above  ground,  not  one  of  his  bones  should  be  buried." 
The  head  was  cut  off  and  the  body  quartered.^ 

"  Such  was  the  fate  of  Philip,  which  was  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  a  termination  of  the  war  in  every  quarter  except 
the  eastern  frontier.  It  was  a  war  of  extermination  between 
his  followers  and  the  whites  :  happy  if  the  kindred  tribes  had 
learned  wisdom  from  the  fatal  lesson.  Thus  fell  King  Philip  ! 
Yes  !  the  savage  fought  a  relentless  war  ;  but  he  fought  for 
his  native  land,  for  the  mound  that  covered  the  bones  of  his 
parents  ;  he  fought  for  his  squaw  and  pappoose  ;  —  no,  I  will 
not   defraud   them  of   the   sacred   names  which   our   hearts 

'  Carne,  Life  of  Eliot. 

*  Authorities,  Hubbard,  Church,  Drake,  Baylies,  &C. 


116  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

understand  ;  —  he  fought  for  his  wife  and  children.  He 
would  have  been,  not  a  savage,  —  he  would  have  been  a 
thing  for  which  language  has  no  name,  —  for  which  neither 
human  nor  brute  existence  has  a  parallel, — if  he  had  not 
fought  for  them."  ^  "  The  death  of  Philip  in  retrospect," 
says  Holmes,  "  makes  different  impressions  from  what  were 
made  at  the  time  of  the  event.  It  was  then  considered  as 
the  extinction  of  an  insolent  and  implacable  enemy  ;  it  is 
now  viewed  as  the  fall  of  a  great  warrior,  a  penetrating 
statesman,  and  a  mighty  prince.  It  then  excited  universal 
joy  and  congratulation,  as  a  prelude  to  the  close  of  a  merci- 
less war  ;  it  now  awakens  sober  reflections  on  the  instability 
of  empire,  the  peculiar  destiny  of  the  aboriginal  race,  and 
the  inscrutable  decrees  of  Heaven.  The  patriotism  of  the 
man  was  then  overlooked  in  the  cruelty  of  the  savage,  and 
little  allowance  was  made  for  the  natural  jealousy  of  the  sov- 
ereign on  account  of  the  barbarities  of  the  warrior.  Philip, 
in  the  progress  of  the  English  settlements,  foresaw  the  loss 
of  his  territory,  and  the  extinction  of  his  tribe,  and  made  one 
mighty  effort  to  prevent  those  calamities."  ^ 

The  war  was  ended ;  and  there  was  scarcely  a  family  in  all 
the  colonies  that  was  not  arrayed  in  mourning.  Six  hundred 
of  the  English  had  fallen  upon  the  battle-field  ;  twelve  or 
thirteen  towns  had  been  destroyed  ;  and  the  whole  expense, 
including  losses  and  disbursements,  exceeded  half  a  million 
of  dollars.  No  Indian  war  which  has  occurred  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States  was  ever  attended  with  such 
disastrous  results  as  this  of  King  Philip.  The  advance  of 
New  England  was  retarded  by  it  fifty  years ;  but  its  evil 
effects  were,  in  process  of  time,  entirely  obliterated. 

'  Everett,  Oration  on  Lathrop.  *  Holmes,  Annals. 


THE  DOWNFALL   OF  THE   CHARTER.  \\1 


CHAPTER    VI. 
THE  DOWNFALL  OF  THE  CHARTER 

Since  the  accession  of  Charles  II.,  EngLand  had  chafed 
under  the  independent  attitude  of  the  colonies.  The  com- 
mission of  1664  had  signally  failed  of  its  object,  and  all 
attempts  to  reduce  the  colonies  to  servile  obedience  had  like- 
wise been  foiled.  But  not  yet  was  the  English  court  will- 
ing to  relinquish  the  effort  to  subdue  the  spirit  of  a  people 
whose  very  perverseness  stung  its  pride.  Accordingly,  in 
1672,  it  voted  to  send  new  agents  to  America,  who  should 
"  from  time  to  time  report  how  that  people  stood  affected." 
These  agents  never  came  over,  however  ;  and  as  an  offset 
to  the  apparent  lack  of  courage  on  the  part  of  the  court, 
the  Council  for  Plantations  resolved  itself  into  a  Council  for 
Trade  and  Foreign  Plantations,  and  delayed  further  pro- 
ceedings.^ 

From  the  very  first,  Massachusetts  had  shown  herself  the 
most  defiant  of  all  the  colonies,  and  in  the  face  of  opposi- 
tion had  found  prosperity.  Her  commerce  was  reaching  out 
its  arms  in  every  direction,  and  wealth  was  pouring  into  her 
treasuries ;  while  New  Hampshire  and  Maine,  and  even  a 
part  of  the  province  of  Acadia,  were  included  within  her 
jurisdiction.  But  a  dark  hour  in  her  history  was  rapidly 
approaching. 

While  England  viewed  with  jealous    eyes  the  widely  ex- 

'  Evelyn,  Diary,  i.  434-459. 


118  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

tended  traffic  of  the  colony,  fearing  that  the  latter  "  would 
not  only  ruin  the  trade  of  this  kingdom,  but  would  leave 
no  sort  of  dependence  from  that  country  to  this,"  Gorges 
and  Mason  again  offered  to  dispose  of  all  their  claims  to  the 
crown  ;  but  the  monarch  was  too  poor  to  purchase  them. 
The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  although  it  had  in  its 
employ  no  standing  agent  in  England,  managed  to  gain  a 
knowledge  of  this  and  other  proceedings  dangerous  to  its 
future  welfare,  and  at  once  adopted  measures  of  defence. 
The  king,  resolved  upon  "  reassuming  the  government  of 
Massachusetts,"  sent  the  insolent  Edward  Randolph  to  New 
England.  He  arrived  at  Boston  in  the  early  summer  of 
1676,  and  at  once  waited  upon  Governor  Leverett.  He  had 
come  with  full  powers  to  carry  out  the  will  of  his  sover- 
eign—  a  duty  scarcely  possible  to  be  performed  at  such  a 
time.  Without  paying  much  attention  either  to  his  creden- 
tials or  his  proposals,  the  governor  regarded  him  "  as  Mr. 
Mason's  agent,"  and  bade  him  withdraw.^  The  govetnor 
also  gave  him  to  understand  that  "  the  laws  of  England 
were  binding  no  further  than  consisted  with  their  interests ; 
that  by  the  charter,  full  legislative  powers  were  conferred 
upon  the  companj^ ;  that  all  matters  in  dispute  were  to  be 
concluded  by  their  determination,  without  any  appeal ;  and 
that  his  majesty  ought  not  to  retrench  their  liberties,  which 
he  had  agreed  to  confirm,  but  leave  them  to  enjoy,  or  even 
to  enlarge  the  same,  inasmuch  as  upon  their  own  charge, 
and  without  any  contribution  from  the  crown,  they  had 
'  made  so  large  a  plantation  in  the  wilderness.'  "^  Randolph 
returned  to  England  one  year  later,  execrated  by  all  whom 
he  left  behind. 

In  this  same  year,  William  Stoughton  and  Peter  Bulkley 

'  Hutchinson,  Coll.,  505.  *  Barry,  i.  456. 


THE   DOWNFALL   OF   THE   CLL4RTER.  119 

sailed  for  England,  for  the  purpose  of  "  making  answer 
to  the  complaints  of  Gorges  and  Mason,"  and  of  negotiat- 
ing that  "affair  with  safety  to  the  country."  Hearings  were 
erantcd  to  thera  shortly  after  their  arrival,  which  resulted, 
however,  only  in  the  defeat  of  their  mission.  The  claims 
of  ]Massachusetts  to  the  right  of  jurisdiction  over  IMaine 
and  Kew  Hampshire  were  rejected ;  and  "  the  former 
j)rovince  was  confirmed  to  Gorges  and  his  heirs,"  while  for 
the  government  of  the  latter  province  the  crown  issued  a 
special  commission.  At  this  point  John  Usher,  a  merchant 
of  Boston,  purchased  the  whole  right  and  interest  of  Gorges' 
heirs,  and  assigned  it  over  to  the  governor  and  company. 
Massachusetts  rejoiced  in  such  a  victory,  and  the  king  be- 
came sorely  enraged.     So  the  end  was  not  yet. 

Pending  these  proceedings,  the  court  had  determined  to 
send  over  a  royal  governor,  "  wholly  supported  by  his  majes- 
ty," and  also  a  collector  for  the  port  of  Boston.  Ran- 
dolph was  chosen  to  fill  the  latter  office,  and  again  arrived 
in  Boston  in  December,  1GT8,  wJiere  he  was  welcomed 
"  more  like  a  spy  than  one  of  his  majesty's  servants,"  and 
was  soon  made  by  everybody  the  object  of  abuse. ^  The 
agents  of  the  colony  did  not  reach  home  until  the  follow- 
ing year,  bearing  letters  from  the  king.  According  to  these 
letters,  the  king  demanded  that  new  agents  should  visit 
England  within  six  months,  "  to  attend  to  such  business  as 
remained  unsettled  ;  "  that  freedom  of  conscience  should  be 
allowed  to  members  of  the  church  of  England ;  that  all 
freemen  were  to  be  eligible  to  office  ;  that  military  commis- 
sions and  proceedings  of  justice  should  run  in  his  majesty's 
name  ;  and  that  an  assignment  of  the  purchase  of  Gorges' 
claim  should   be   made   to   the   king,  on  repayment   of  the 

'  1  Mass.  H.  Coll.,  vi.  02-94.     Ciialniers,  Annals,  408. 


120  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

purchase-money.  Such  were  only  a  few  of  the  roj^al 
demands.^ 

The  magistrates  prepared  and  sent  over  a  reply  to  these 
demands,  to  Avhich  the  king  returned  answer,  ordering  them 
"  seriously  to  reflect  upon  his  directions,  and  to  send  over, 
within  three  months,  such  persons  as  they  saw  fit  to  choose, 
furnished  with  sufficient  instructions  to  attend  the  regulation 
and  settlement  of  their  government,  and  to  answer  the  claims 
which  Robert  Mason  had  set  up  to  the  lands  between  the 
Naumkeag  and  Merrimack  Rivers."  ^  Although  they  were 
appointed,  no  agents  were  sent  over.  Randolph  having  re- 
turned to  England,  "soured  by  disappointment,"  and  accused, 
before  the  king,  .the  "  Bostoneers  "  as  "usurpers,  forming 
themselves  into  a  commonwealth,  denying  appeals  to  Eng- 
land, neglecting  the  oath  of  allegiance,  protecting  regicides," 
et  cetera,  came  back  to  Boston,  in  the  winter  of  1G81,  bear- 
ing a  letter  from  the  king,  dated  October  21,  which  con- 
cludes in  the  following  words :  "  We  once  more  charge 
and  require  you  forthwith  to  send  over  your  agents  fully 
empowered  and  instructed  to  attend  the  regulation  of  that 
our  government,  and  to  answer  the  irregularity  of  your  pro- 
ceedings therein ;  in  default  whereof  Ave  are  fully  resolved, 
in  Trinity  term  next  ensuing,  to  direct  our  attorney-general 
to  bring  a  qno  warranto  in  our  Court  of  King's  Bench,  where- 
by our  charter  granted  unto  you,  with  all  the  powers  thereof, 
may  be  legally  evicted  and  made  void."  ^ 

It  was  deemed  best  to  give  immediate  attention  to  this 
kingly  summons,  inasmuch  as  the  strength  of  the  royalist 
party  in  Boston  was  constantly  increasing.  William  Stough- 
ton  and  Joseph  Dudley  were  appointed  as  new  agents  to  be 
sent  to  England.     The  former  refused  to  go,  however,  and 

1  Barry,  i.  4G4.  '^  Hutch.  Coll.,  522.  =•  Clialuiers,  Annals,  443-449. 


THE   DOWNFALL    OF  FJIF   CHARTER.  121 

John  Richards  was  chosen  in  his  stead.  The  agents  departed, 
pledged  "  not  to  do  or  consent  to  anything  that  should  vio- 
late or  infringe  the  liberties  and  jjrivileges  "  granted  by  the 
charter.  In  order  to  make  affairs  as  nnpleasant  as  possible, 
the  busy,  vigorous,  and  unscrupulous  Randolph  followed  them 
to  England.  Pie  was  earnest  in  his  demand  for  a  fixio  xvar- 
ranto,  and  faithless  to  the  objects  he  had  promised  to  cherish. 

Of  course,  when  the  agents  arrived,  they  found  his  majesty 
in  a  perturbed  state  of  mind.  Their  reception  was  anything 
but  hearty,  and  when  a  hearing  was  granted  to  them  it  was 
only  to  be  told  that  their  powers  were  wholly  inadequate.  It 
at  once  became  evident  that  a  quo  icarranto  would  speedily 
follow,  and  that  Massachusetts,  already  humbled,  was  soon 
to  witness  the  downfall  of  its  charter.  The  people  of  the 
colony,  upon  receipt  of  this  intelligence,  were  much  aggrieved. 
A  war  against  the  charter  implied  a  war  against  the  commu- 
nity. "  The  farmers  in  the  country  talked  of  it  at  their 
hearth-sides  ;  the  people  of  Boston  pondered  it  in  their  ware- 
houses, discussed  it  upon  the  exchange  and  in  the  halls  of 
legislation.  It  went  with  them  to  the  church,  and  was  the 
burden  of  their  prayers.  The  clergy  were  aroused,  and  their 
opinions  and  arguments,  on  the  one  side  and  the  other,  were 
given  in  writing  or  uttered  in  public  ;  and  as  they  had  ever 
been  loyal  to  the  colony,  so  now  for  the  last  time  they  de- 
clared themselves  irrevocably  in  favor  of  adhering  to  the 
charter."  ^ 

When  Randolph,  Avho  had  been  summoned  "  to  prosecute 
a  quo  u'cirranto^''''  arrived  in  England,  in  May,  1G83,  he 
brought  before  the  Council  for  Plantations  "  articles  of  high 
crimes  and  misdemeanors  "  against  the  ^Massachusetts  colony, 
together  with  such  "  articles,   witnesses,   and  proofs  "  as  he 

'  Carry,  i.  473. 

16 


122  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

was  aLle  to  produce.  On  the  other  hand,  the  agents,  unwill- 
ing to  undertake  the  defence,  returned  to  Massachusetts. 
Three  days  after  their  arrival,  on  the  26th  of  October,  Ran- 
dolph reached  Boston,  bearing  the  quo  warranto.  If,  said 
the  colonists,  liberty  was  to  receive  its  death-blow,  better 
that  it  should  die  by  the  violence  and  injustice  of  others 
than  by  their  own  weakness.  The  governor  and  his  assist- 
ants were  fully  persuaded  of  the  hopelessness  of  further 
resistance,  and  therefore  resolved  to  remind  the  king  of  his 
former  promises,  and  "  not  to  contend  with  his  majest}-  in  a 
court  of  law."  They  promised  to  send  agents  "  empowered 
to  receive  his  majesty's  commands." 

The  resolution  of  the  governor  and  his  assistants  having 
been  submitted  to  the  deputies  for  concurrence,  the  latter, 
after  a  debate  of  two  weeks'  duration,  placed  their  decision 
on  record :  "  The  deputies  consent  not,  but  adhere  to  then* 
former  bills."  The  people  of  Boston  sustained  the  deputies. 
Said  Increase  Mather,  at  a  town  meeting,  "  I  verily  believe 
we  shall  sin  against  the  God  of  heaven  if  we  vote  an  affirm- 
ative to  it.  .  .  .  The  loyal  citizens  of  London  would  not 
surrender  their  charter,  lest  their  posterity  should  curse  them 
for  it.  And  shall  we,  then,  do  such  a  thing  ?  I  hope  there 
is  not  one  freeman  in  Boston  that  can  be  guilty  of  it."  Ad- 
dresses, urging  forbearance,  were  forwarded  to  the  king,  but 
to  no  purpose.  On  the  16th  of  April,  1684,  a  scire  facias 
was  issued  in  England.  Before  the  colony  could  act  upon 
it,  the  charter  was  conditionally  adjudged  to  be  forfeited. 
The  judgment  was  confirmed  on  the  first  day  of  the  Michael- 
mas term,  and  in  the  summer  of  1685  a  copy  of  it  was  re- 
ceived in  Boston. 

Thus  tyranny  triumphed  over  weakness,  and  the  charter 
which  Winthrop  had  brought  to  America,  and  on  which  had 


THE  DOWNFALL   OF   THE   CHARTER.  123 

rested  the  cherished  fabric  of  New  England  liberties,  fell  to 
the  ground.  At  nearly  the  same  time  died  Charles  II.,  whose 
only  feeling  for  his  fellow-men  was  that  of  an  amused  con- 
tempt. 

The  accession  of  James  II.,  in  February,  1685,  was  signal- 
ized by  his  pledge  to  preserve  the  laws  inviolate,  and  to  pro- 
tect the  church.  The  whole  country  welcomed  the  promise 
with  enthusiasm ;  but  the  New  England  colonists  foresaw 
in  it  only  a  despotism  that  had  marked  them  for  its  victims. 

While  the  General  Court  was  in  session,  in  May,  1686,  the 
commission  of  Joseph  Dudley  as  president  of  the  colony  was 
presented  and  read.  The  assembly  at  once  adjourned,  and 
"  the  deputies  returned  in  sadness  to  their  homes."  On  the 
25th,  the  new  president  and  council  met,  when  the  former 
proceeded  to  say,  "  The  necessary  alterations  in  the  rule  and 
form  of  his  majesty's  government,  from  the  method  late  used 
by  the  government  while  it  stood  by  the  charter,  as  they 
need  be  but  a  few,  so  we  assure  you  shall  with  all  care  and 
prudence  be  continued  as  plain  and  as  easy  as  is  possible,  and 
we  shall  hasten  humbly  to  lay  them  at  his  most  gracious 
majestj^'s  feet,  for  his  allowance  and  confirmation."  ^  Mean- 
while Randolph  served  his  writs  of  quo  ivarranto  against 
Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut. 

It  became  evident  before  long  that  Dudley  and  Randolph 
were  not  on  the  best  of  terms  ;  and  owing  to  their  dislike" 
of  the  so-called  "  evil  genius  of  New  England,"  the  people 
naturally  took  sides  with  Dudley.  Each  impugned  the  other 
in  the  most  villanous  terms ;  and  while  outsiders  were 
watching  the  controversy.  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  "  with  com- 
panies of  soldiers  brought  from  Europe  to  support  what  was 
to  be  imposed  "  upon  the  colony,  landed  at  Boston,  and  pro- 

'  Barry,  i.  480. 


/ 


124  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

claimed  himself  "  captain  general  and  governor-in-cliief "  of 
New  England.  On  the  day  of  his  arrival,  December  20, 
1686,  Andros  "  repaired  forthwith  to  the  town-house,  at- 
tended thither  b}"  a  great  number  of  merchants  and  others, 
with  all  the  militia  of  horse  and  foot,"  and  there  made  a 
"  short  speech."  The  council  met  on  the  following  day,  and 
it  was  ordered  that  "all  members  of  the  late  government 
should  be  summoned  to  meet  at  Boston,  on  Thursday,  the 
30th  instant."  A  demand  was  also  sent  for  the  surrender  of 
the  charters  of  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut.  On  the  day 
appointed,  the  new  government  was  wholly  organized,  and  a 
proclamation  issued  that  "  all  officers,  both  civil  and  military, 
should  be  continued  in  their  places  of  trust,  and  that  the 
laws  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  England  should  be,  and 
observed  during  his  excellency's  pleasure."  ^  A  series  of 
measures  followed  of  the  most  vexatious  character.  Prefer- 
ments were  lavished  upon  strangers ;  an  arbitrary  govern- 
ment was  established  ;  while  "  the  wicked  walked  on  every 
side,  and  the  vilest  men  were  exalted."  A  tax  of  twenty 
l^ence  on  each  poll  was  levied,  and  also  one  penny  in  the 
pound  upon  "  all  the  late  colonies  and  provinces,  towards 
defraying  the  public  charges  of  the  government."  A  refusal 
to  comply  with  such  demands  was  the  beginning  of  trouble, 
of  which  countless  fines  and  imprisonments  were  the  result. 
Furthermore,  the  power  of  the  press  was  bridled  ;  a  restraint 
was  placed  upon  marriages  ;  every  encouragement  was  given 
to  the  establishment  of  Episcopal  churches,  and  a  tax  lev- 
ied for  the  support  of  the  same.  Excise  laws  were  also 
passed  and  enforced  ;  no  one  was  allowed  to  leave  the  coun- 
try without  permission  ;  and,  indeed,  the  schools  of  learning 
were  suffered  to  go  to  decay.     Oppression   threatened  the 

'  Council  RecorcLs  105-107.     2  M.  H.  Coll.,  viii.  181,  182. 


THE  DOW X FALL    OF  THE   CHARTER.  125 

country  with  ruin  ;  and  tlic  oppressors,  quoting  an  opinion 
current  among  the  mercantile  monopolists  of  England,  an- 
swered without  disguise,  "  It  is  not  for  his  majesty's  interest 
you  should  thrive."  Before  the  close  of  1G88,  the  whole 
seaboard,  from  Maryland  to  the  St.  Croix,  was  united  into  one 
despotism,  of  which  Boston  was  the  capital. 

The  clergy  openly  condemned  the  tyranny  of  their  rulers, 
and,  while  preaching  rebellion,  enkindled  as  with  a  flame 
the  minds  of  the  people.  Before  the  bursting  of  the  storm, 
Mr.  Increase  Mather,  who  had  so  valiantly  fought  for  the 
charter,  was  sent  to  England  "•  to  excite  the  clemency  of  the 
king."  Upon  arriving  he  found  that  the  heart  of  the  mon- 
arch was  itself  steeped  in  despotism,  and  not  at  all  inclined 
to  favor  liberty  in  the  colonies.  But  relief  came  at  length, 
from  a  revolution  whose  influence  was  to  pervade  the  Euro- 
pean world. 

The  reign  of  the  Stuarts  had  suddenly  come  to  an  end, 
and  a  new  race  of  sovereigns  sat  upon  the  English  throne. 
All  who  were  in  favor  of  toleration  saw  in  William  of  Or- 
ange ''  one  in  whom  they  confided  for  the  redress  of  their 
spiritual  grievances ;  and  the  liberal  nobility  saw  in  him  one 
to  redress  their  civil  wrongs."  On  that  eventful  day,  •'  hu- 
manity rejoiced  at  the  redemption  of  English  liberties;  she 
reproved  the  unnatural  conduct  of  daughters  who  drove 
their  father  into  poverty  and  exile ;  she  sighed  for  the  Roman 
Catholics  who  were  oppressed,  for  the  dissenters  who  were 
but  tolerated ;  and  as  on  the  evening  of  the  long  struggle 
which  had  been  bequeathed  by  Rogers  and  Hooper,  and  had 
lasted  more  than  a  century  and  a  half,  she  selected  a  resting- 
place,  it  was  but  to  gather  strength,  with  the  fixed  purpose 
of  renewing  her  journey  on  the  dawn  of  morning."  ^ 

'  B.incrofl,  ii.  445. 


126  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

On  the  4th  day  of  April,  1689,  the  news  of  the  invasion 
of  England  reached  Boston.  The  messenger,  Mr.  John  Wins- 
low,  Avas  immediately  imj^risoned ;  but  his  message  conld 
not  be  suppressed.  The  fire  which  had  been  smouldering, 
burst  into  a  blaze.  On  the  morning  of  the  18th  an  alarm 
was  sounded.  George,  commander  of  the  Rose  frigate,  was 
made  prisoner  by  Green  and  the  Boston  sliip-carpenters. 
There  was  a  patriotic  mob  in  the  streets,  which  all  the  king's 
hirelings  could  not  quell.  The  companies  of  militia  rallied 
at  the  town-house  ;  and  before  noon  many  of  the  leaders  of 
oppression  were  in  chains.  On  a  sudden  old  Simon  Brad- 
street,  the  last  governor  of  the  colony  under  the  charter, 
drew  near  the  town-house.  Peal  upon  peal  burst  upon  the 
surrounding  air.  The  old  magistrates  were  reinstated  as  a 
council  of  safety ;  and  a  declaration  was  read  defending  the 
insurrection  as  a  duty  to  God  and  the  country. 

And  then  the  cry  arose  against  Andros  and  Randolph  ; 
and  while  the  colonial  colors  floated  on  Beacon  Hill,  a  squad 
was  sent  to  the  fort  to  demand  its  surrender.  Sir  Edmund 
refused.  About  four  o'clock  the  governor  was  seen  attempt- 
ing to  escape  to  the  frigate ;  but  the  movements  of  the  com- 
panies were  too  quick  for  him.  Before  another  hour  was  up, 
Andros,  through  the  very  streets  where  he  had  first  dis- 
played his  scarlet  coat  and  his  arbitrary  commission,  was 
marched  to  the  town-house,  and  thence  to  prison.  On  the 
19th  the  fort  itself  was  taken,  and  the  frigate  was  mastered. 

The  colonists  paused  for  a  while  before  taking  the  next 
important  step.  On  the  22d  of  May,  the  proclamation  of 
William  and  Mary  not  having  yet  reached  the  country,  forty 
out  of  fift^^-four  towns  in  Massachusetts  voted  to  re-assume 
the  old  charter.  Meanwhile  the  tidings  of  the  late  proceed- 
ings at  Boston  had  reached  Plymouth,  and  Nathaniel  Clark, 


THE  DOWNFALL   OF  THE  CHARTER.  127 

the  agent  of  Andros,  was  in  jail,  while  Hinckley,  the  former 
govcinor,  resumed  his  place.  Soon  afterwards  Joseph  Dud- 
ley was  taken  prisoner  and  conducted  to  Boston.  Connecti- 
cut, following  the  example  of  Massachusetts,  brought  forth 
the  charter  from  its  hiding-place,  and  began  new  chapters  in 
the  records  of  freedom.  The  southern  colonies  imitated  New 
England  ;  and  thus  did  a  popular  insurrection,  beginning  at 
Boston,  extend  to  the  Chesapeake  and  to  the  wilderness. 
When  the  tidings  of  the  proclamation  of  William  and  Mary 
reached  Boston,  the  people  were  so  rejoiced  as  to  make  "  a 
great  noise  in  the  world." 

On  the  Gth  of  June  the  representatives  met  in  Boston,  and 
voted  the  unconditional  resumption  of  the  charter,  and  re- 
solved that  all  the  laws  in  force  May  12,  1686,  should  be 
continued  until  further  orders.  At  the  same  time  Increase 
IMather  was  holding  converse  with  the  king,  and  urging  the 
restoration  of  the  charter.  He  succeeded  only  in  this  — 
in  obtaining  an  order  that  the  government  of  the  colony 
should  be  continued  under  the  old  charter  until  a  new  one 
was  settled.  Then  remarked  the  king,  "  I  will  forthwith 
give  order  that  Sir  Edmund  Andros  shall  be  removed  from 
the  government  of  New  England,  and  be  called  unto  an 
account  for  his  maladministration.  And  I  will  direct  that 
the  present  king  and  queen  shall  be  proclaimed  by  the  for- 
mer magistrates."  "  Sir,"  replied  the  agent,  "  they  will  do 
it  with  the  joj'fulest  hearts  in  the  world." 

Andros,  having  reached  England,  was  summoned  to  appear 
before  the  council,  on  the  17th  of  April,  1690  ;  but  owing  to 
some  irregularity  in  the  drawing  up  of  the  charges,  further 
proceedings  were  quashed,  and  the  villain  was  discharged 
from  custody.  His  associates  were  likewise  released.  We 
have  only  to  trace  the  history  of  these  men  one  step  farther. 


128  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Andros  afterwards  became  governor  of  Virginia,  Randolph 
received  an  appointment  in  the  West  Indies,  and  Dudley 
became  chief  justice  of  New  York. 

For  some  time  it  had  been  evident  that  the  king  had  re- 
solved to  erect  a  new  government  in  Massachusetts,  which 
was  to  be  known  as  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 
At  length  the  Province  charter  of  1692  was  obtained.  By 
its  terms  the  territories  of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  and 
Maine  were  consolidated  into  one  jurisdiction  ;  the  king  was 
to  appoint  the  governor,  deputy  governor,  and  secretary, 
while  the  people  could  choose  twenty-eight  councillors.  Each 
town  was  allowed  two  deputies  to  represent  them  in  the 
General  Court ;  rights  of  citizenship  were  to  be  respected, 
and  liberty  of  conscience  granted  to  all  but  Papists.  By 
this  charter,  the  dependence  of  the  colonies  npon  the  crown 
was  secured.  On  the  14th  of  May,  Sir  William  Phips,  the 
first  governor  of  the  new  province,  arrived  in  Boston,  "  wel- 
comed by  a  majority  of  the  people." 


THE  PROVINCE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.      129 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE  PROVINCE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY. 

The  erection  of  the  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay- 
was  the  "  second  act  of  the  great  drama,  AAdiose  third  brought 
freedom  to  a  wide-spread  republic."  It  also  introduced  a 
new  era  into  the  history  of  New  England.  Shortly  after 
the  arrival  of  Sir  William  Phips,  a  government  was  organized 
under  the  new  charter.  At  the  first  session  of  the  General 
Court,  held  in  June,  1692,  the  laws  which  had  been  enacted 
under  the  colonial  charter  were  confirmed  until  the  follow- 
ing Npvember.  During  the  recess  the  laws  were  revised, 
and  ccitain  portions  of  them  were  submitted  for  the  king's 
approval.  One  of  these  acts  set  forth  that  "  no  aid,  tax, 
talliage,  assessment,  custom,  loan,  benevolence,  or  imposition, 
should  be  laid,  assessed,  or  levied  on  any  of  their  majesties' 
subjects,  or  their  estates,  on  any  pretence  whatsoever,  but 
by  the  act  and  consent  of  the  governor,  council,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people,  assembled  in  General  Court."  This, 
of  course,  was  equivalent  to  a  denial  of  the  right  of  Parlia- 
ment to  tax  the  colonies  for  any  purpose  whatsoever  ;  and 
as  such  it  was  speedily  rejected  by  the  king.  Among  other 
rejected  acts  were  the  one  claiming  the  benefit  of  the  writ  of 
habeas  corpus,  and  the  one  relative  to  the  punishment  of  capi- 
tal offenders,  —  the  former  on  the  ground  that  "  the  privilege 
had  not  yet  been  granted  to  the  plantations,"  and  the  latter 
because  it  was  founded  upon  the  Mosaic  rather  than  upon 
17 


130  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

English  law.  Of  the  acts  approved  by  the  king,  several 
were  of  the  utmost  importance,  more  particularly  the  one 
which  enjoined  a  religious  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
those  which  provided  for  the  settlement  and  support  of  min- 
isters, and  for  the  fostering  of  education.  It  is  to  these  wise 
provisions  of  our  forefathers  that  we  to-day  owe  our  pros- 
perity. 

Sir  William  Phips,  the  first  governor  under  the  new  char- 
ter, was  a  native  of  New  England.  Although  an  ardent 
lover  of  his  country,  he  owed  his  elevation  more  to  a  concur- 
rence of  favorable  circumstances  than  to  the  dignity  of  his 
character  or  to  the  sharpness  of  his  intellect.  He  had  fol- 
lowed the  sea  for  many  years,  and  had  accumulated  ample 
wealth.  Returning  home  to  Boston,  he  became  high  sheriff 
under  the  administration  of  Andros  ;  and  having  united  with 
the  North  Church,  of  which  Cotton  Mather  was  pastor,  he 
not  only  proved  himself  a  zealous  disciple  of  Puritanism,  but 
rose  into  high  favor  with  the  people.  When  the  time  came 
to  nominate  officers.  Increase  Mather,  the  agent  of  the  colony 
in  England,  proposed  the  name  of  Phips  as  chief  magistrate. 
The  latter  was  chosen,  and  as  early  as  possible  returned  home 
from  England,  whither  he  had  gone  on  a  visit.  Among  his 
associates  in  the  new  government  were  Saltonstall,  Brad- 
street,  Appleton,  Hathorne,  Bradford,  Hutchinson,  all  of 
whom,  with  others,  had  held  office  under  the  old  charter.^ 

As  we  have  already  stated,  Governor  Phips  owed  his 
elevation  to  office  to  the  influence  of  the  Mathers.  If  he  had 
cut  loose  from  this  dependence  after  his  inauguration,  he 
would  have  lost  nothing  himself,  and  his  country  would  have 
gained  more.  Sir  William's  intellect  was  exceedingly  dull ; 
his  manner  was  headstrong ;  he  knew  little  of  the  principles 

»  Hutchinson,  ii.  20,  21,  69,  70. 


THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.      131 

of  politics  ;  and  in  religion  he  was  a  victim  to  superstition. 
To  the  Mathers,  therefore,  his  friends  and  his  favorers,  he 
looked  for  that  political  energy,  culture,  and  safe  reliance, 
which  he  himself  did  not  possess.  Honest  enough,  good 
enough,  and  benevolent  enough,  he  was,  nevertheless,  "  much 
better  fitted  to  manage  the  crew  of  a  man-of-war  than  to  sit 
at  the  helm  of  the  ship  of  state."  ^  We  have  the  assertion 
of  one  of  his  biographers  that  "  he  would  often  speak  to  the 
members  of  the  General  Assembly  in  such  terms  as  these  : 
"  Gentlemen,  you  may  make  3'ourselves  as  easy  as  you  will 
forever.  Consider  what  may  have  any  tendency  to  your  wel- 
fare, and  you  may  be  sure  that,  whatever  bills  you  offer  to 
me,  consistent  with  the  honor  and  interest  of  the  crown,  I 
will  pass  them  readily.  I  do  but  seek  opportunities  to  serve 
you.  Had  it  not  been  for  this,  I  had  never  accepted  the 
government  of  this  province.  And  whenever  you  have  set- 
tled such  a  body  of  good  laws,  that  no  person  coming  after 
me  may  make  you  uneasy,  I  shall  desire  not  one  day  longer 
to  continue  in  the  government."  ^  Such  sentiments  are 
undoubtedly  liberal ;  but  in  the  case  of  Phips,  they  did  not 
correspond  with  his  administration. 

Of  the  part  which  the  new  governor  took  in  the  witch- 
craft delusion,  some  mention  will  be  made  in  a  subsequent 
chapter.  Of  his  vigilance  in  checking  the  hostilities  of  the 
Indians  much  might  be  said  in  commendation.  At  the  same 
time  he  adopted  a  conciliator}^  policy,  and  in  1693  formed  a 
league,  which,  if  it  had  been  kept,  "  would  have  restored 
peace  to  many  desolated  homes,  and  have  delivered  the 
people  from  that  state  of  alarm  in  which  they  were  involved 
for  about  twenty  years."  A  trivial  circumstance,  a  personal 
collision  with  jNIr.  Brenton,  collector  for  the  port  of  Boston,  led 

'  Hutchinson,  ii.  74.  *  Mather,  Magn.,  ch.  xv. 


132  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

to  the  removal  of  Governor  Phips.  There  was  a  strong  party 
m  England  indulging  prejudices  against  him,  and  suits  at 
law  were  instituted  for  alleged  misdemeanors.  Prior  to  his 
departure  to  answer  to  these  charges,  an  incident  transpired 
which  goes  far  to  prove  the  decline  of  his  popularit3%  In 
1694  a  motion  for  an  address  to  the  king  against  the  re- 
moval of  Phips  was  made  and  carried  by  a  bare  majority. 
Nearly  all  of  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  who  represented  the 
country  towns  voted  in  the  negative.  In  order  to  prevent 
any  further  trouble,  "  the  friends  of  Phips  inserted  a  clause 
in  a  bill  then  pending  requiring  residence  as  a  qualification 
for  town  representatives.  The  change  thus  introduced  by 
the  prerogative  or  court  party,  for  merely  personal  ends, 
was  highly  important ;  for  by  requiring  towns  to  choose  one 
of  their  own  citizens  as  delegates  to  the  General  Court,  it 
brought  the  questions  of  the  day  directly  to  their  doors,  and 
compelled  them  to  take  an  immediate  interest  in  political 
discussions."  ^ 

William  Stoughton,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  "  a 
man  of  cold  affections,  proud,  self-Avilled,  and  covetous  of 
distinction,"  now  assumed  the  management  of  the  govern- 
ment. He  had  been  educated  for  the  ministry,  but  "  the 
people  judged  him  proper  to  take  his  father's  place  as  a  magis- 
trate," and  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  devoted  to  politics. 
Under  Phips  he  had  served  as  lieutenant  governor,  with 
credit  to  himself;  and  "to  the  day  of  his  death,  notwith- 
standing there  were  some  whose  friendship  he  could  never 
secure,  the  body  of  the  people  regarded  him  with  favor ;  and 
he  left  as  few  enemies  as  any  one  who  had  taken  so  active  a 
part  in  the  government,  and  who  had  passed  through  so 
many  eventful  vicissitudes."     The  administration  of  Stough- 

'  Barry,  ii.  57. 


THE   PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  DAY.      133 

ton  was  of  only  short  duration  ;  for  during  tlic  summer  of  1G95 
the  Earl  of  Bcllamont  was  appointed  governor.  Mr.  Stough- 
ton,  however,  continued  to  fill  the  office  until  the  arrival  of 
the  new  magistrate  in  June,  1G97. 

At  this  time  the  crown  was  in  search  of  a  person  capable 
of  enforcing  obedience  to  the  laws  of  trade,  which  had  been 
much  neglected  on  the  high  seas,  and  the  Earl  of  Bellamont 
was  thought  to  be  thus  competent.  In  Now  York,  where 
he  first  arrived  from  England,  he  was  waited  upon  by  a 
committee  from  Massachusetts,  who  tendered  him  the  well 
wishes  of  the  people.  His  commission  included  New  York 
as  well  as  Massachusetts ;  and  he  lost  no  time  in  entering 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office.  In  May,  1699,  he  reached 
Boston,  and  was  welcomed  with  marked  respect.  So  sensi- 
tive was  he  to  the  attentions  of  the  people  that  he  remarked 
to  his  wife,  "  We  should  treat  these  gentlemen  well,  for 
they  give  us  our  bread."  On  all  occasions  he  showed  him- 
self a  perfect  gentleman,  always  affable  and  courteous  ;  and 
as  a  magistrate  he  conducted  affairs  with  an  honesty  of  pur- 
pose and  a  moderation  worthy  of  all  praise.  As  a  proof  of 
his  popularity,  it  merits  to  be  said  that  during  his  stay  in 
the  province,  the  General  Court  granted  him  the  sum  of 
twenty-five  hundred  pounds  for  the  support  of  his  govern- 
ment. Hitherto  an  almost  insignificant  sum  had  been  as- 
signed for  this  purpose.  Much  to  the  regret  of  his  constitu- 
ents. Lord  Bellamont  died  in  1701.  His  best  epitaph  and 
the  strongest  commentary  on  the  character  of  his  predeces- 
sors, is  furnished  in  his  own  words  ;  "  I  will  pocket  none  of 
the  public  money  myself,  nor  shall  there  be  any  embezzlement 
by  others." 

As  soon  as  the  intelligence  of  Lord  Bellamont's  death 
reached   England,  Joseph    Dudley,    a   native    of    iNIassachu- 


134  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

setts,  who  "  truly  honored  and  loved  the  religion,  learning, 
and  virtue  of  New  England,  and  was  himself  a  worthy  patron 
and  example  of  them  all,"  ^  but  whose  character,  nevertheless, 
was  that  of  profound  selfishness,  succeeded  in  enlisting  the 
sympathies  of  Cotton  Mather,  who  wrote  a  letter  to  the  king 
favoring  his  cause.  He  was  accordingly  appointed  governor, 
and  received  his  commission  only  a  few  months  before  the 
death  of  the  king.  Upon  arriving  in  Massachusetts  he  re- 
ceived a  welcome  even  from  his  opponents.  On  meeting  his 
first  assembly  in  1702,  he  recognized  among  the  members  the 
faces  of  many  of  the  council  which  had  imprisoned  him  in 
1689,  and  gave  "instances  of  his  remembering  the  old  quarrel, 
and  the  people,  on  their  part,  resolved  never  to  forget  it." 
It  was  plain  to  see  that  he  had  acted  imprudently,  and  that 
the  current  of  prejudice  was  turned  against  him.  One  of 
his  earliest  proceedings  was  to  demand  for  himself  a  stated 
salary.  "  As  to  settling  a  salary  for  the  governor,"  replied 
the  house,  "it  is  altogether  new  to  us;  nor  can  we  think  it 
agreeable  to  our  present  constitution  ;  but  we  shall  be  ready 
to  do  what  may  be  proper  for  his  support."  In  the  summer 
he  visited  Fort  Pemaquid,  afterwards  called  Fort  William 
Henry,  and  renewed  the  treaty  with  the  Indians.  Two 
years  later,  he  wished  to  rebuild  this  fort,  and  the  question 
was  brought  before  the  General  Court ;  but  the  house,  in- 
dignant at  the  insolent  manner  of  the  magistrate,  which  had 
been  displaj^ed  upon  former  occasions,  refused  either  to 
rebuild  the  fort  at  Pemaquid,  of  to  contribute  funds  for  the 
support  of  the  fort  at  Piscataqua.  Here  began  the  contro- 
versies which  nothing  but  independence  could  solve.  Dud- 
ley became  more  and  more  unpopular ;  and  a  suspicion  soon 
arose  that  his  sympathies  were  wholly  with  the  court  party. 

'  Boston  News  Letter,  No.  834. 


THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.      185 

111  vain  did  he  demand  concessions  to  the  royal  prerogative, 
and  useless  were  liis  onslaughts  upon  the  chartered  liberties 
of  New  England.  "  This  country,"  wrote  Paul  Dudley,  his 
san  and  the  attorney  general  of  the  province,  "  will  never 
be  worth  living  in,  for  lawyers  and  gentlemen,  till  the  char- 
ter is  taken  away.  My  father  and  I  sometimes  talk  of  the 
queen's  establishing  a  court  of  chancery  here."  ^ 

Mr.  Dudley's  conduct  finally  became  insufferable  ;  and  in 
1708,  an  attempt  was  made  to  deprive  him  of  his  office. 
A  petition  charging  him  with  "  unheard-of  corruptions  an'd 
oppressions,  and  unjust  and  partial  practices,"  was  forwarded 
to  Queen  Anne.  The  storm  of  opposition  had  reached  a 
fearful  height,  and  but  for  more  serious  events,  it  would 
have  entirely  overwhelmed  the  magistrate.  A  Avar  with  the 
French  engrossed  the  attention  of  the  people  ;  and  in  the 
mean  time  the  party  in  favor  of  the  governor  gradually  in- 
creased its  strength,  while  that  of  the  opposition  proportion- 
ally diminished.  The  close  of  his  administration  was  more 
tranquil  than  any  one  had  a  right  to  expect.  In  1714, 
George  I.  came  upon  the  English  throne,  and  iMr.  Dudley, 
now  grown  old,  began  to  conduct  himself  in  a  more  gracious 
manner.  His  last  days  were  his  best ;  and  when,  six  years 
later,  he  went  to  his  rest,  his  friends  outnumbered  his  foes. 
Mr.  Dudley  "  was  as  good  a  governor  as  one  could  be  who 
loved  neither  freedom  nor  his  native  land.  His  grave  is  no 
more  honored  ;  his  memory  has  perished  from  among  those 
whose  interests  he  flattered,  and  is  preserved  only  in  the 
country  of  his  birth.  He  who  loved  himself  more  than  free- 
dom or  his  country,  is  left  without  one  to  palliate  his  self- 
ishness." 2 

France  and  England  were  early  rivals  in  the  discovery  and 

'  Hutchinson,  ii.  140.  '  Bancroft,  iii.  100. 


136  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

settlement  of  the  new  world.  Although  matched  quite 
equally  in  maritime  skill,  the  balance  of  power  eventually 
turned  in  favor  of  England.  As  early  as  1620,  the  sturdy 
pioneers  of  France  had  laid  the  foundations  of  Quebec,  and 
there  planted  the  doctrines  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
New  settlements  were  quickly  formed ;  and  the  colony  of 
New  France  sprang  into  existence.  The  people  of  New  Eng- 
land, being  Protestants,  viewed  with  jealous  eyes  the  rapid 
progress  of  their  neighbors  at  the  north  and  west.  "  In  point 
of  population,  indeed,  the  English  outnumbered  the  French 
at  least  ten  to  one.  It  was  not,  therefore,  in  this  respect 
that  their  power  was  dreaded.  They  were  more  formidable 
from  their  influence  over  the  Indians  within  their  borders. 
Their  missionaries,  with  a  zeal  which  has  been  highly  ap- 
plauded, had  planted  the  cross  in  every  village,  and  had 
scores  of  converts  in  every  tribe  ;  yet  with  the  craft  and 
duplicity  which  distinguished  the  Jesuits,  instead  of  seeking 
to  allay  the  brutal  ferocity  of  the  savages,  they  had  instilled 
into  them  their  own  hatred  of  the  English  and  their  religion. 
The  natural  aversion  of  the  tribes  to  the  progress  of  the 
white  race  facilitated  their  plans  ;  and  no  mass  so  vast  and 
so  combustible  ever  waited  long  for  a  spark  to  inflame  it.  As 
rivals  in  the  fur  trade,  and  rivals  in  the  fisheries,  collisions 
had  frequently  arisen ;  and  the  fires  of  discord  were  smoul- 
dering in  New  England,  and  in  Acadia  and  Canada."  ^ 

Ii^  1689,  at  the  time  when  the  authority  of  Andros  was 
overthrown,  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  conceived 
the  project  of  making  an  attack  upon  Port  Royal  and  Que- 
bec. Upon  the  arrival  of  Phips,  long  known  as  an  experi- 
enced seaman,  the  expedition  was  made  ready  and  intrusted 
to  his  care.     A  fleet  of  seven  vessels,  carrying  between  seven 

'  Barry,  ii.  77. 


THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.        137 

and  eight  hiindred  men,  sailed  to  Port  Royal,  in  the  follow- 
ing spring,  and  forced  its  surrender.  Enough  plunder  was 
obtained  to  defray  all  expenses  ;  and  from  this  time  onward 
Sir  William  Phips  assumed  control  of  the  whole  sea-coast 
extending  from  Port  Royal  to  Boston.  Shortly  afterwards, 
the  Indians,  prompted  by  the  French,  began  to  commit  fright- 
ful ravages  in  the  New  England  territory.  These  encroach- 
ments induced  a  general  war.  England  was  early  apprised 
of  the  intentions  of  the  colonists,  and  was  urged  to  forward 
a  supply  of  arms  and  ammunition  for  the  invasion  of  Canada. 
This  request,  owing  to  troubles  which  had  arisen  in  the 
mother  country,  was  not  complied  with  ;  whereupon  Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut,  and  New  York,  having  formed  an 
alliance,  met  in  congress  and  resolved  to  proceed  together."  ^ 
On  the  9th  of  August,  1690,  a  fleet  of  upwards  of  thirty 
vessels  sailed  from  Nantasket,  and  arrived  before  Quebec  in 
the  early  autumn.  A  land  army  of  about  eight  hundred  men 
was  marching  towards  jNIontreal  by  way  of  Lake  Champlain. 
Meanwhile  Count  Frontenac,  governor  of  Canada,  having 
received  intelligence  of  these  proceedings,  lost  no  time  in 
preparing  for  the  defence  of  the  place.  Placing  the  hatchet 
in  the  hands  of  La  Plaque,  the  Indian  informer,  and  grasping 
his  owm,  "  he  chanted  the  war-song  and  danced  the  war- 
dance  as  a  pledge  of  co-operation  in  repelling  the  invaders." 
Not  many  days  elapsed,  however,  before  he  discovered  that 
his  fears  were  premature.  Dissensions  had  arisen  in  the 
ranks  of  the  English,  which  had  forced  them  to  fall  back  to 
Montreal ;  nor  had  the  fleet  under  Phips  yet  arrived  in  sight. 
Taking  advantage  of  this  double  discomfiture,  Frontenac  has- 
tened to  the  Castle  of  St.  Louis,  "  the  post  of  honor  ; "  the 
militia  of  Three  Rivers  and  of  the  neighboring  settlements 

'  Mather,  Life  of  Pliipa. 

18 


188  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

were  mustered  into  service,  and  M.  de  Ramsey  and  M.  de 
Callieres  were  placed  in  command.^ 

Before  his  arrival,  Major  Provost,  the  commandant  at 
Quebec,  had  prepared  for  the  defence  of  the  town.  The 
Castle  of  St.  Louis  "  was,  by  its  natural  position,  almost  im- 
pregnable ;  but  for  further  security,  lines  of  palisades,  armed 
with  small  batteries,  were  formed  round  the  crown  of  the 
lofty  headland  environing  the  town  ;  the  gates  were  barri- 
caded with  beams  of  timber,  of  massive  size,  and  casks  filled 
with  earth  ;  cannon  were  mounted  at  every  advantageous 
position  ;  and  a  large  windmill  of  solid  masonry  was  filled  up 
as  a  cavalier.  The  lower  town  was  protected  by  two  bat- 
teries, each  of  three  guns ;  and  the  streets  leading  up  the 
steep,  rocky  face  of  the  height  were  embarrassed  with  in- 
trenchments  and  rows  of  chevaux-de-frise." 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  October,  the  approach  of 
the  English  fleet  was  discovered.  It  was  just  rounding  the 
headland  of  Point  Levi,  on  the  south  shore  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence. Ascending  stealthily,  the  vessels  lowered  their  sails, 
and  dropped  anchor  near  the  small  village  of  Beaufort. 
Early  the  next  day.  Sir  William  Phips,  elated  by  his  pre- 
vious successes,  despatched  a  messenger  to  the  French  gen- 
eral, demanding  an  unconditional  surrender,  in  the  name  of 
King  William.  "  Your  answer  positive  in  an  hour,  by  your 
own  trumpet,  with  the  return  of  mine,  is  required  upon  the 
peril  that  will  ensue,"  —  such  were  the  closing  words  of  the 
summons.  The  messenger  was  conducted  blindfolded,  through 
the  town,  and  finally  brought  into  the  presence  of  Frontenac 
and  others  of  his  staff.  "  Read  your  message,"  said  the  aged 
governor.  The  English  officer  obeyed  ;  and  having  ended, 
he  took  out  his  watch,  saying,    "  It  is  now  ten  o'clock ;  I 

'  Charlevoix,  iii.  87. 


THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.       1G9 

await  youi\ answer  for  one  hour."  Amid  a  burst  of  indigna- 
tion, Frontenac  exclaimed,  "  I  know  not  King  William  ; 
but  I  know  that  the  Prince  of  Orange  is  a  usurper,  who 
has  violated  the  most  sacred  rights  of  blood  and  of  religion. 
lie  has  destroyed  the  laws  and  privileges  of  the  kingdom,  and 
overthrown  the  English  church;  and  the  divine  justice  will 
one  day  punish  him  for  his  crimes.  As  to  your  chief,  say 
that  I  will  answer  him  at  the  cannon's  mouth."  With  these 
words  the  conference  ended ;  and  the  messenger  returned  in 
haste  to  the  fleet. ^ 

At  noon  on  the  8th,  thirteen  hundred  men  were  embarked 
in  the  boats  of  the  squadron,  under  the  command  of  Major 
Walley.  At  La  Canardiere  they  effected  a  landing ;  and 
whilst  the  main  army  was  forming  along  the  shore,  four  com- 
panies pushed  forward  towards  the  town.  On  a  sudden  a 
terrific  volley  was  poured  upon  them  by  a  force  of  Canadians, 
who  had  posted  themselves  among  the  rocks  and  bushes. 
Confusion  eiisued,  followed  by  a  speedj'  rallying  of  the  troops. 
With  his  whole  army  in  line,  Major  Walley  advanced  to  the 
St.  Charles,  where  he  quartered  for  the  night.  The  same 
evening  four  vessels  of  the  squadron  having  pushed  up  the 
river  and  anchored  before  the  town,  commenced  firing ;  at 
the  same  time  they  received  a  tremendous  response  from  the 
numerous  guns  of  the  fortress.  At  daybreak  the  attack  was 
renewed  ;  "  the  black  muzzles  of  the  cannon  thrust  from  the 
bastions  of  the  castle  poured  forth  incessant  volleys,  Avhile 
the  guns  of  the  ships,  though  constantly  plied,  made  little 
impression.  By  noon,  fully  satisfied  that  the  contest  was 
hopeless,  the  assailants  weighed  anchor,  and  with  the  reced- 
ing tide  floated  their  crippled  vessels  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
enemy's  fire,  but  not  without  the  loss  of  the  flag  of  the  rear 

'  Charlevoix,  iii.  117,  scq.     Matlicr,  Life  of  Phips. 


140  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

admiral,  which  was  shot  away,  and,  as  it  drifted  towards  the 
shore,  was  seized  by  a  Canadian,  wlio  swam  out  into  the 
stream,  and  brought  it  in  triumph  to  the  castle,  where  for 
many  years  it  Avas  hung  up  as  a  trophy  in  the  church  of 
Quebec." 

About  noon  on  the  9th,  the  troops  under  Major  Walley 
guided  by  a  band  of  Iroquois  Indians,  marched  against 
the  stronghold  on  the  left  bank  of  the  St.  Charles.  While 
on  the  way  they  were  attacked  by  two  hundred  Canadians 
under  the  commands  of  Dc  Longeuil  and  St.  Hclene,  and 
forced  to  fall  back.  In  a  second  attack  Walley  met  Avith 
better  success,  and  compelled  his  enemy  to  retreat.  On  the 
10th  another  advance  was  made  against  the  breastworks  ; 
but  in  the  attempt  to  dislodge  the  cnemj',  the  English 
received  a  terrible  defeat,  and,  being  utterly  discouraged,  re- 
embarked  in  their  vessels,  and  returned  home.  Nine  of  these 
vessels  were  wrecked  among  the  shoals  of  the  St.  Lawrence.^ 

The  arrival  of  Sir  William  Pliips  and  the  remnant  of  his 
command  in  Boston,  in  November,  spread  gloom  over  the 
community.  A  scries  of  misfortunes  following  King  Pliilip's 
war  had  impoverished  the  treasury ;  and  everybody  was 
downhearted  and  plunged  in  deep  despair.  "  Considering 
the  present  poverty  of  the  country,  and,  through  scarcity  of 
monc}-,  the  want  of  an  adequate  measure  of  commerce," 
issues  of  bills  of  credit  were  authorized  "to  be  in  value  equal 
to  money,  and  accepted  in  all  public  payments."  This  was 
the  first  paper  currency  put  forth  in  New  England.  Mean- 
while in  Quebec  there  were  great  rejoicings  over  the  repulse 
of  the  English ;  and  with  a  proud  heart  the  gallant  Frontenac 
penned  the  despatch  which  informed  his  master  of  the  victory 
which   had   been   achieved.     To   commemorate    the  same,  a 

'  Hutchinson,  i.  352-35G.     2  M.  II.  Coll.,  iii.  25G-2G0. 


THE   PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.        \\\ 

medal  was  struck  off,  and  a  church,  dedicated  to  "  Notro 
Dame  des  Victoires,"  Avas  built  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
town. 

The  Indians,  spurred  onward  by  the  French,  now  began 
to  commit  depredations.  In  the  District  of  Maine,  a  war  with 
the  savages  was  carried  on  through  the  last  ten  years  of  the 
seventeenth  centur}'.  At  Groton,  Billerica,  Newbury,  Lan- 
caster, Andover,  Haverhill,  and  other  places  nearer  Boston, 
there  were  frequent  scenes  of  midnight  incendiarism  ;  and 
'•  the  murder  and  scalping  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  peaceful 
villages,  and  the  captivity  of  helpless  women  and  children," 
have  been  narrated  by  a  French  writer,  as  "actions  that 
were  brave  and  beautiful."  ^  The  story  of  a  noble  wife  and 
mother,  although  often  told  clsewdiere,  must  be  repeated 
in  this  connection.  During  an  incursion  made  upon  Haver- 
hill, in  1G97,  the  Indians  surrounded  the  house  of  Plannah 
Dustin.  Her  husband  at  the  time  was  at  work  in  the  fields, 
and  reached  the  house  too  late  to  defend  his  wife,  who  was 
ill  in  bed  from  a  recent  confinement,  and  had  her  young  babe 
with  her.  He  collected  seven  of  his  children,  sent  them  run- 
ning along  the  road,  and  with  his  gun  in  hand,  repelled 
the  assault,  now  cheering  on  the  innocent  group  of  little 
ones,  till  all  reached  a  shelter.  Meanwhile  the  savages 
burned  the  house,  dashed  the  infant  against  a  tree,  and  com- 
pelled ]\Irs.  Dustin  and  her  nurse  to  go  with  them.  After 
wear}'  marches  through  the  forests,  the  party  found  them- 
selves just  above  Concord,  when  the  prisoners  were  told  that 
they  would  be  forced  to  run  a  gantlet  as  soon  as  they  should 
reach  the  village.  That  night  Mrs.  Dustin,  with  her  nurse 
and  a  young  English  boy  from  Worcester,  planned  escape. 
"  Where  would  you  strike,"  said  the  boy  to  his  Indian  mas- 

'  Cliark'voix,  iii.  318,  seq. 


142  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ter,  "to  kill  instantly?''  The  Indian  told  him  how  and 
where.  While  all,  save  the  prisoners,  were  asleep,  two 
women  and  a  boy,  each  with  a  tomahawk  in  hand,  put  an 
end  to  ten  of  the  twelve  sleepers,  scalped  them,  and  bearing 
their  trophies  with  them,  dropped  down  the  river  in  a  bark 
canoe  to  Haverhill,  where  they  astonished  their  friends  by 
their  escape  and  "  filled  the  land  with  wonder  at  their  suc- 
cessful daring."  ^ 

In  1692  another  expedition  was  projected  into  Canada. 
The  tidings  arrived  from  England  that  it  had  "  pleased  the 
king,  out  of  his  great  .goodness,  and  disposition  for  the  wel- 
fare of  all  his  subjects,  to  send  a  considerable  strength  of 
ships  and  men  into  the  West  Indies,  and  to  direct  Sir  Francis 
Wheeler,  the  admiral,  to  sail  to  New  England  from  the 
Caribbee  Islands,  so  as  to  be  there  by  the  last  of  May,  or  the 
middle  of  June  at  farthest,  with  a  strength  sufficient  to  over- 
come the  enemy,  if  joined  and  seconded  by  the  forces  of 
New  England."  "  There  can  never,"  continues  the  secre- 
tary's letter,  "  be  such  an  occasion  for  the  people  of  New 
England  to  show  their  zeal  for  their  religion  and  love  to 
their  king  and  country.  His  majesty  has  taken  care,  besides 
the  ships  of  war,  to  send  to  you  a  thousand  soldiers,  if  their 
number  be  not  diminished  by  their  service  in  the  West  In- 
dies, under  a  commander  who  has  looked  the  same  enemy  in 
the  face,  and  will  show  an  example  worthy  to  be  followed. 
Sir  William  Phips,  I  suppose,  will  be  at  the  head  of  the  New 
England  volunteers,  and  will  readily  acquiesce,  according  to 
the  rules  of  war,  in  leaving  the  chief  command,  as  his  majesty 
has  determined  it."  ^  When  the  fleet  spoken  of  in  this  royal 
communication  arrived  at  Nantasket  from  the  West  Indies, 
in  June,  1693,  it  had  on  board  just  eight  hundred  sailors  and 

'  Mirick,  Hist,  of  Haverhill,  80,  seq.  '  Hutchinson,  ii.  70. 


THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  DAY.      I43 

six  hundred  soldiers,  or  less  than  a  third  of  its  original  equip- 
ment !  It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  expedition  into  Canada 
was,  therefore,  -wholly  abandoned  for  the  present. 

Meanwhile  the  French  bethought  themselves  of  recovering 
Acadia,  which  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  English  four 
years  before.  The  territory  was  regained  in  1692  ;  and  in  the 
late  summer  of  IGOG  Pemaquid  was  taken  by  the  combined 
forces  of  D' Iberville  and  Castine.  By  this  proceeding  the 
French  dominion  was  extended  into  the  heart  of  Maine,  and 
the  English  relinquished  all  their  former  claims  in  the  north. 
In  1697  the  French  projected  an  invasion  of  New  England  ; 
but  their  schemes  were  not  destined  to  succeed,  and  they 
returned  home  without  having  put  their  project  even  to  a 
test.  By  the  peace  of  Ryswick,  September  20,  1697,  King 
William's  War,  so  called,  was  brought  to  a  temporary  sus- 
pension. This  peace  "  was  a  victory  of  the  spirit  of  reform  ; 
for  Louis  XIV.,  with  James  II.  at  his  court,  recognized  the 
revolutionary  sovereign  of  England,  and  the  encroachments 
of  France  on  the  German  empire  were  restrained.  In  Amer- 
ica, France  retained .  all  Hudson's  Bay,  and  all  the  places  of 
which  she  was  in  possession  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  ;  in 
other  words,  with  the  exception  of  the  eastern  moiety  of 
Newfoundland,  France  retained  the  whole  coast  and  adjacent 
islands  from  Maine  to  beyond  Labrador  and  Hudson's  Bay, 
besides  Canada  and  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  On  the 
east,  England  claimed  to  the  St.  Croix,  and  France  to  the 
Kennebec  ;  and,  had  peace  continued,  the  St.  George  would 
have  been  adopted  as  a  compromise."  ^ 

After  a  four  years'  truce,  the  war  began  again  in  1702. 
The  French  and  the  English  appeared  to  be  no  other  than 
sworn  and  natural  enemies.     Each  ached  to  get  possession 

*  Bancroft,  iii.  l'J2.     Palfrey,  Hist,  of  New  England,  iv.  168. 


144  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Qti  tlie  other's  territory,  and  each  as  greedily  accused  the 
other  of  trespass.  In  view  of  an  approaching  conflict,  the 
French  used  all  their  skill  to  win  the  Indians  into  their  con- 
fidence. They  unceasingly  encouraged  them  to  deeds  of 
blood  and  shame,  and  fairly  gloried  in  all  designs  of  treach- 
ery. In  June,  1703,  a  congress  of  chiefs  from  the  Penobscot 
to  the  Merrimack  met  Governor  Dudley  at  Casco.  "  The 
sun,"  said  the}^,  "  is  not  more  distant  from  the  earth  than 
are  our  thoughts  from  war;"  and  then  and  there  they  made 
pledge  of  friendship,  and  sealed  it  with  wampum.  Scarcely 
six  weeks  had  passed  before  the  fierce  Abenakis  burst  upon 
every  house  and  garrison  in  that  region,  sparing  "  neither 
the  milk-white  brows  of  the  ancient  nor  the  mournful  cries 
of  tender  infants."  Like  an  avalanche  they  overwhelmed 
the  country,  spreading  devastation  and  ruin  wheresoever 
they  went. 

In  February,  1704,  while  the  picket  watch  was  sleeping, 
and  the  snow  had  drifted  over  the  palisades,  a  party  of  three 
hundred  French  and  Indians,  under  the  command  of  Major 
Hertel  de  Rouville,  made  an  attack  on  Deerfield,  one  of  the 
most  Tjeautiful  of  the  western  villages.  Not  unexpectedly 
had  they  come  ;  for  the  peaceful  inhabitants  had  been  warned 
of  impending  danger  by  Colonel  Schuyler,  of  New  York, 
and  the  Mohawks.  Since  this  warning  there  was  "  not  a 
night  but  the  sentinel  was  abroad  ;  not  a  mother  lulled  her 
infant  to  rest  but  knew  that  before  morning  the  tomahawk 
might  crush  its  feeble  skull."  The  garrison  was  easily  sur- 
prised, and  amid  wild  war-whoops  which  rent  the  air  asunder, 
a  terrible  scene  of  slaughter,  pillage,  and  conflagration  ensued, 
which  lasted  for  three  hours.  During  the  carnage  a  party 
broke  into  the  house  of  Mr.  Williams,  the  minister.  Pie, 
his  wife,   and  five  of  his   children  were  seized  ;  the   house 


THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  DAY.      145 

itself  was  plundered,  and  two  children  and  a  negro  woman 
were  cruelly  massacred.  Like  scenes  Avero  perpetrated  in 
other  parts  of  the  village.  Only  one  house  and  the  church 
escaped  destruction,  the  former  being  nobly  guarded  by 
seven  colonists,  whose  wives  were  casting  bullets  for  their 
guns.  Forty-seven  of  the  English  were  killed,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  were  led  away  prisoners  ;  a  few  escaped,  and 
bore  the  tidings  of  evil  to  other  towns. 

When  the  sun  was  an  hour  high,  the  murderous  villains 
took  their  departure.  Who  can  picture  the  sufferings  of 
the  unhappy  prisoners  ?  Who  could  count  the  bloody  foot- 
prints in  the  snow  ?  Mrs.  Eunice  Williams,  the  wife  of  the 
minister,  had  not  forgotten  her  Bible  ;  and  at  night,  when 
the  party  paused  to  rest,  the  savages  permitted  the  captives 
to  read  to  them.  Having  but  recently  recovered  from  the 
ills  of  confinement,  the  good  woman,  exposed  to  the  hard- 
ships of  her  winter  journey,  soon  discovered  that  her  strength 
was  beginning  to  fail.  To  her  husband,  who  reminded  her 
of  the  "  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens," 
she  "justified  God  in  what  had  happened."  Mindful  of  the 
dear  ones  whom  she  left  behind,  and  commending  them, 
under  God,  to  their  father's  care,  she  fell  in  the  Leyden 
Gorge  a  victim  to  the  blow  of  a  tomahawk.  "  She  rests  in 
peace,"  said  her  husband,  "  and  joy  unspeakable  and  full 
of  glory."  On  the  first  Sunday  of  their  march  north,  Mr. 
Williams  preached  from  the  text,  "  My  virgins  and  my 
young  men  are  gone  into  captivity."  Having  arrived  in 
Canada,  the  prisoners  were  forced  to  attend  Roman  Catholic 
services,  and  to  Mr.  Williams  was  promised  freedom  and  a 
pension  if  lie  would  join  the  Roman  Catholic  cluu-ch.  He 
sternly  refused  ;  but  twenty-eight  of  liis  associates  assented, 
"  whence  kindred  blood  now  rattles  bad  French  in  Canada  or 
19 


146  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

sputters  Indian  in  the  north  and  north-west."  The  minister's 
daughter  Eunice,  a  child  of  but  seven  years  of  age,  was 
adopted  into  the  village  of  the  Praying  Indians,  near  Mont- 
real ;  she  became  a  Catholic,  and  afterwards  the  wife  of  a 
Cahnewaga  chief;  and  when,  after  long  years,  she  revisited 
Deerfield  and  her  friends,  who  had  been  redeemed  from 
captivity,  not  one  iota  of  regard  for  the  customs  of  civilized 
life,  or  for  the  tenets  of  the  Puritan  church,  remained  in  her 
heart.  "  In  spite  of  a  day  of  fast  of  a  whole  village,  which 
assembled  to  pray  for  her  deliverance,  she  returned  to  the 
fires  of  her  own  wigwam,  and  to  the  love  of  her  own 
Mohawk  children."  ^ 

On  the  last  of  July,  the  same  year,  a  party  of  four  hundred 
French  and  Indians  fell  upon  Lancaster,  and  burned  the 
meeting-house  and  several  dwellings.  During  this  and  the 
two  following  years,  other  towns  likewise  suffered.  "  There 
is  no  tale  to  tell  of  battles  like  those  of  Blenheim  or  of 
Ramillies,  but  only  one  sad  narrative  of  novel  dangers  and 
sorrows.  In  the  following  years  the  Indians  stealthily  ap- 
proached towns  in  the  heart  of  Massachusetts,  as  well  as 
along  the  coast,  and  on  the  southern  and  western  frontiers. 
Children,  as  they  gambolled  on  the  beach ;  reapers,  as  they 
gathered  the  harvest ;  mowers,  as  they  rested  from  using 
the  scj^the  ;  mothers,  as  they  busied  themselves  about  the 
household,  —  were  victims  to  an  enemy  who  disappeared 
the  moment  a  blow  was  struck,  and  who  was  ever  present 
where  a  garrison  or  a  family  ceased  its  vigilance."  ^ 

'  "Williams,  Redeemed  Captive,  p.  27,  seq.  Palfrey,  Hist.  iv.  262,  seq. 
Bancroft,  iii.  214.  Rev.  Eleazer  Williams,  the  pretended  Dauphin  of  France, 
and  Bourbon  Prince  Royal,  who  made  such  a  sensation  some  years  ago,  was 
Eunice's  grandson. 

•■'  Bancroft,  iii.  214.     Penhallow,  28. 


■iLAl 


THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.       147 

In  1708  the  village  of  Haverhill,  overlooking  the  waters 
of  the  Merrimack,  contained,  besides  a  new  meeting-house, 
about  thirty  log-built  cottages.  Like  other  New  England 
villages,  it  was  mostly  peopled  by  honest.  God-fearing 
farmers,  whose  sole  wealth  lay  in  the  blooming  fields  and 
the  towering  forests.  At  the  close  of  a  summer's  day,  the 
29th  of  August,  whilst  the  inhabitants  were  resting  from 
their  wonted  labors,  and  were  wholly  unconscious  of  danger, 
the  bloodthirst}''  Rouville,  with  his  followers,  drew  near.  At 
daybreak  he  addressed  his  men,  and  impiously  called  upon 
God  to  sanction  his  deed.  The  crack  of  the  rifle  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  war-whoop,  and  scenes  of  bloodshed  ensued. 
Among  the  first  to  fall  was  Benjamin  Rolfe,  the  minister  ; 
an  Indian  tomahawk  was  plunged  deep  into  the  head  of  his 
wife,  and  her  innocent  babe,  snatched  from  her  dying  grasp, 
was  dashed  against  a  stone.  Thomas  Hartshorne  and  two 
of  his  sons  were  shot.  John  Johnston  and  his  wife  fell  side 
by  side,  and  after  the  death  of  the  latter,  her  babe  was  found 
clinging  to  her  breast.  Other  unfortunates  were  dealt  with 
in  a  similar  manner.  At  the  first  fire  Samuel  Wainwright 
fell  to  the  ground.  His  wife,  JNIary,  unbarred  the  doors,  and 
invited  the  savages  into  the  house ;  and  "  when  they  de- 
manded money,  she  retired  as  if  to  bring  it,  and  gathering  up 
all  the  children  save  one,"  she  made  good  her  escape.  On 
this  memorable  day  forty  of  the  inhabitants  found  their 
death.  Only  a  few,  shielded  by  the  gallantrj^  of  the  intrepid 
Davis  and  others  from  Salem,  and  of  Samuel  Ayer,  —  a  name 
never  to  be  forgotten  in  the  village  annals,  —  succeeded  in 
escaping  from  the  general  massacre.  As  the  sun  disappeared 
in  the  west,  the  awful  tragedy  was  over.  The  bodies  of  tho 
fallen  were  mournfully  interred.  An  ancient  mound  still 
marks  their    resting-place,  and    a    moss-grown   stone,    with 


148  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

its  rude  epitaph,  stands  by  the  grave  of  Rolfe  and  his 
family.^ 

What  wonder  is  it  that  these  sorrowful  events  inspired 
the  deepest  hate  towards  the  French  and  their  savage  allies  ? 
"  I  hold  it  my  duty  towards  God  and  my  neighbors,"  wrote 
Peter  Schuyler  to  the  Marquis  of  Vaudreuil,  "  to  prevent, 
if  possible,  these  barbarous  and  heathen  cruelties.  My  heart 
swells  with  indignation  when  I  think  that  a  war  between 
Christian  princes,  bound  to  the  exactest  laws  of  honor 
and  generosity,  which  their  noble  ancestors  have  illustrated 
by  brilliant  examples,  is  degenerating  into  a  savage  and 
boundless  butchery.  These  are  not  the  methods  for  termi- 
nating the  war.  Would  that  all  the  world  thought  with  me 
on  this  subject." 

Meanwhile  the  encroachments  of  the  French  increased 
daily.  Whilst  their  general  was  planning  to  seize  and  defend 
the  whole  country  in  the  regions  of  the  Kennebec,  Massa- 
chusetts was  urged  to  rebuild  the  fort  at  Pemaquid.  The 
importance  of  Pemaquid,  as  a  check  to  French  aggression, 
was  very  great,  inasmuch  as  it  completely  covered  the  ap- 
proaches to  the  Kennebec,  the  Sheepscot,  Damariscotta,  and 
Pemaquid  Rivers.  Being  at  the  doors,  it  was  also  "  a  stand- 
ing menace  against  the  Indian  allies  of  the  French,  with  a 
garrison  ready  to  launch  upon  their  villages,  or  intercept 
the  advance  of  war  parties  towards  the  New  England  settle- 
ments. Its  presence  exasperated  the  Abenakis,  on  whose 
territory  it  was,  beyond  measure  ;  the  French  found  them 
ever  ready  to  second  projects  for  its  destruction."  ^  The 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts  failed  to  see  the  importance 

'  Hutchinson,  ii.  157.     Mirich,  Hist,  of  Haverhill,  117-134.     Bancroft,  iii. 
215,  seq.     Penhallow,  47.     Conip.  Charlevoix,  ii.  325-6. 
*  CharlevoLx,  New  France,  239. 


THE  PROVINCE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.      149 

of  maiutaining  the  stronghold,  and  contended  that  the  funds 
of  the  government  were  needed  for  other  purposes.  In 
1709  Enghmd  prepared  to  send  a  fleet  to  America  for  the 
purpose  of  "  punishing  the  audacity  and  insolence  of  the 
French  ;  "  and  great  efforts  were  made  in  New  England  to 
organize  and  equip  a  new  expedition  against  Canada.  The 
fleet  failed  to  arrive,  however  ;  the  troops  which  had  been 
raised  were  as  hastily  discharged  ;  and  thus  a  new  scheme 
of  conquest,  through  the  negligence  of  England,  was  fated 
to  prove  an  abortion.  The  energies  that  had  been  kindled 
into  life  were  wasted  in  inactive  expectation. 

In  the  following  year  a  final  expedition  against  the  French 
proved  successful.  At  the  instance  of  Francis  Nicholson, 
lieutenant  governor  of  New  York,  and  under  his  immediate 
command,  six  English  vessels,  joined  by  thirty  of  New  Eng- 
land and  four  New  England  regiments,  two  of  which  were 
commanded  by  Sir  Charles  Hobby  and  Colonel  Taller  of 
Massachusetts,  one  by  Colonel  Walton  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  the  fourth  by  Colonel  Whiting  of  Connecticut,  sailed 
for  Acadia.  On  the  24th  of  September,  after  a  voyage  of 
six  days,  the  fleet  anchored  before  Port  Ro^-al.  Without 
delay  the  troops  were  landed,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  attacking  the  fortress.  At  this  time,  Subercase,  the 
French  governor,  had  control  of  the  place  ;  but  his  garrison, 
numbering  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  was  both  weak 
and  insubordinate.  Mortar  batteries  were  erected,  and  for 
three  or  four  days  the  siege  continued  ;  so  steadily  was  the  fire 
from  the  ramparts  kept  up,  that  the  garrison  was  on  the  verge 
of  starvation.  At  length  Subercase  sent  a  flag  of  truce,  with 
a  request  that  the  ladies  in  the  fort  might  be  permitted  to  find 
shelter  in  the  English  camp.  The  request  was  granted  ;  and 
the  storming  recommenced.    On  the  1st  of  October,  Subercase 


150  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

received  a  summons  to  siuTencIer;  a  cessation  was  agreed 
upon  ;  the  terms  of  capitulation  were  arranged,  and  on  the  5th, 
the  garrison,  now  reduced  by  over  a  hundred  men,  marched 
out  with  the  honors  of  war,  and  Port  Royal  became  the  spoil 
of  the  victors.  In  honor  of  the  queen  the  name  of  the  place 
was  changed  to  Annapolis.  Having  thus  made  himself 
master  of  Acadia,  and  left  a  garrison  at  tlie  fort  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Vetch,  General  Nicholson  returned 
with  his  fleet  and  army  to  Boston.^ 

As  soon  as  possible  Nicholson  hastened  to  England  to  bear 
the  tidings  of  his  success,  and  to  urge  the  conquest  of  Can- 
ada. The  French,  it  was  said,  were  making  dangerous  prog- 
ress in  the  west,  and  it  was  feared  that  in  consequence  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  colonies  might  suffer.  "  It  is 
well  known "  —  such  are  the  words  in  the  memorial  ad- 
dressed to  the  queen  —  "  that  the  French  can  go  by  water 
from  Quebec  to  Montreal.  From  thence  they  can  do  the 
like,  through  rivers  and  lakes,  at  the  back  of  all  your 
majesty's  plantations  on  this  continent  as  far  as  Carolina ; 
and  in  this  large  tract  of  country  live  several  nations  of 
Indians,  who  are  vastly  numerous.  Among  those  they  con- 
stantly send  emissaries  and  j^riests,  with  toys  and  trifles,  to 
insinuate  tliemselves  into  their  favor.  Afterwards  they  send 
traders,  then  soldiers,  and  at  last  build  forts  among  them  ; 
and  the  garrisons  are  encouraged  to  intermarry,  cohabit,  and 
incorporate  among  them ;  and  it  may  easily  be  concluded 
that,  upon  a  peace,  many  of  the  disbanded  soldiers  will  be 
sent  thither  for  that  purpose."  ^  Nicholson  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining his  request. 

A  fleet  comprising  fifteen  ships  of  war  and  forty  trans- 
ports, under  the  command  of  Sir  Hovenden  Walker,  seven 

»  Hutchinson,  ii.  1G4-1C7,  Charlevoix,  &c.  «  Bancroft,  iii.  219. 


THE  PROl'LYCE   OF  J/.-lSSAC//rSETTS  BAY.      151 

regiments  of  veterans,  from  INIarlboroiigh's  army,  under 
General  Hill,  and  six  hundred  marines,  were  ordered  to  sail 
from  England.  At  the  same  time  the  governments  of  New- 
England,  New  York,  the  Jerseys,  and  Pennsylvania  Avere 
ordered  to  raise  the  quotas  assigned  to  them,  with  a  ten 
Aveeks'  supply  of  provisions.  On  the  25th  of  June,  1711, 
the  fleet  arrived  at  Boston  ;  and  from  this  time  onward  to 
the  last  of  July,  preparations  were  going  on  for  a  departure. 
As  there  was  a  great  lack  of  money  wherewith  to  purchase 
provisions,  the  General  Court  of  the  province  determined  to 
issue  forty  thousand  pounds  in  bills  of  credit,  "  to  be  loaned 
to  merchants  and  others  for  the  term  of  two  years,  for  the 
purchase  of  bills  of  exchange  on  the  treasury  of  England." 
In  the  mean  time,  troops  from  Connecticut,  New  York,  and 
New  Jersey,  and  a  band  of  about  six  hundred  Iroquois, 
assembled  at  Albany,  in  readiness  to  march  against  Mont- 
real, and  only  waiting  to  receive  tidings  of  the  departure 
of  the  fleet. 

But  no  tidings  of  this  nature  arrived.  All  the  troubles 
incident  to  the  raising  and  quartering  of  a  large  force  sud- 
denly upon  the  country  began  to  show  themselves ;  and  it 
soon  became  manifest  that  the  fleet  could  no  longer  remain 
at  Boston  without  causing  the  whole  design  to  end  in  dis- 
grace. On  the  30th  of  July,  the  English  squadron,  now 
increased  to  eighty  vessels,  left  Boston.  Towards  the  last 
of  August  it  began  to  ascend  the  St.  Lawrence.  While  on 
the  voyage  Admiral  Walker  was  contriving  how  he  should 
secure  his  vessels  during  the  winter  at  Quebec.  On  the 
evening  of  the  22d,  a  dense  fog  arose,  which  completely 
blinded  the  ships'  course.  "  The  pilots,  with  one  accord, 
advised  that  the  fleet  should  lie  to,  with  the  heads  of  the 
vessels  to  the  southward  :    this  was  done,  and  even  so  the 


152  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

vessels  were  carried  towards  the  northern  shore.  Just  as 
Walker  was  going  to  bed,  the  captain  of  his  ship  came  down 
to  say  that  land  could  be  seen  ;  and  without  going  on  deck, 
the  admiral  wantonly  ordered  the  ships  to  head  to  the 
north.  There  was  on  the  quarter-deck  a  man  of  sense  — 
Goddard,  a  captain  in  the  land  service  ;  he  rushed  to  the 
cabin  in  great  haste,  and  importuned  the  admiral  at  least  to 
come  on  deck  ;  but  the  self-willed  man  laughed  at  his  fears, 
and  refused.  A  second  time  Goddard  returned.  '  For  the 
Lord's  sake  come  on  deck,'  cried  he,  '  or  we  shall  certainly 
be  lost ;  I  see  breakers  all  around  us  ! '  —  '  Putting  on  my 
gown  and  slippers,'  writes  Walker,  '  and  coming  upon  deck, 
I  found  what  he  told  me  to  be  true.'  Even  then  the  blind 
admiral  shouted,  '  I  see  no  land  to  the  leeward !  '  but  the 
moon,  breaking  through  the  mists,  gave  him  the  lie."  ^ 

A  strong  breeze  was  blowing  from  the  east,  and  slowly, 
but  surely,  the  fleet  was  forced  among  the  Egg  Islands.  The 
frigates  were  saved  from  the  shoals ;  but  when  morning 
disclosed  the  work  of  a  single  night,  it  was  found  that  eight 
transports  had  been  wrecked,  and  "  eight  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  brave  fellows,  who  had  passed  scathless  through  the 
sanguinary  battles  of  Blenheim,  Ramillies,  and  Oudenarde, 
perished  miserably  on  the  desolate  shores  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence." A  council  of  war  was  at  once  convened,  and  it 
was  voted  unanimously  that  it  was  impossible  to  proceed. 
Thus  the  enterprise  was  abandoned  without  striking  a  single 
blow.  "  Had  we  arrived  safe  at  Quebec,"  wrote  Admiral 
Walker,  "  ten  or  twelve  thousand  men  must  have  been 
left  to  perish  of  cold  and  hunger  ;  by  the  loss  of  a  part, 
Providence  saved  all  the  rest."^  Undoubtedly  he  con- 
sidered  his    "  successful   retreat "    equal  to  a  glorious    vic- 

'  Bancroft,  iii.  223.  *  Wulker's  Journal,  72,  seq. 


THE  PROVINCE   OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY.       153 

toiy.  On  the  otiier  hand,  "  the  French  colony,"  writes 
Charlevoix,  "  could  not  but  recognize  a  Providence  Nvhich 
watched  singularly  over  its  jDreservation,  and  which,  not 
satisfied  with  rescuing  it  from  the  greatest  danger  it  had  yet 
run,  had  enriched  it  with  the  spoils  of  an  enemy  whom  it 
had  not  had  the  pains  to  conquer;  hence  they  rendered  Ilim 
most  heartfelt  thanks."  ^ 

Cast  down  by  this  failure,  which  "  affected  the  whole 
country  seven  years  after,"  the  colonists  abandoned  all  hopes 
of  the  reduction  of  Canada,  firmly  believing  that  "  Provi- 
dence never  designed  the  whole  northern  continent  of 
America  to  be  under  the  dominion  of  one  nation."  But 
the  time  for  the  fulfilment  of  these  things  had  not  yet 
come. 

'  Charlevoix,  ii.  S57,  scq.     Pcnhallow,  C2-C7. 

20 


154  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE  WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION. 

In  order  clearly  to  understand  the  most  tragic  episode  in 
our  history,  we  must  seek  to  carry  ourselves  back  to  the  state 
of  the  colony  of  Massachusetts,  one  hundred  and  eighty 
odd  years  ago.  The  persecutions  which  our  ancestors  had 
undergone  in  the  Old  World,  and  the  privations  which  they 
were  forced  to  endure  soon  after  their  arrival  in  the  New, 
imparted  a  solemn  and  gloomy  turn  to  their  dispositions 
and  associations,  which  was  transmitted  to  their  children 
and  was  aggravated  by  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the 
]3eriod.  In  an  age  of  superstition,  the  imagination  had 
reached  a  monstrous  growth.  In  a  wilderness  where  neither 
civilization  nor  cultivation  prevailed,  where  wild  beasts  and 
Indians  roaming  about  with  freedom  were  objects  always  to 
be  feared,  the  Puritan  mind  suffered  a  want  of  confidence 
and  compassion,  and  gave  origin  to  a  rooted  sympathy  of 
horror  and  hostility.  Between  the  scattered  villages  in  the 
colony  there  was  but  little  communication  ;  the  people, 
having  recently  lost  their  charter,  were  kept  in  a  state  of 
anxiety  respecting  their  future  political  destinies  ;  the  sea- 
coast  was  infested  with  hostile  privateers  ;  commerce  was 
stagnated,  and  almost  every  person  in  office  had  become 
the  victim  of  jealousies,  animosities,  and  discontent.  At 
such  a  time,  amid  such  circumstances,  and  when  all  minds 
were  startled  and  confounded  by  the  prevalence  of  prophe- 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSIOX.  155 

cies  and  forebodings  of  dismal  events,  the  common  belief 
arose  that  the  Evil  Spirit  himself  was  let  loose,  and  was 
permitted  to  descend  upon  the  colonists  with  unexampled 
fury.  Our  fathers  even  entertained  the  opinion  that  certain 
of  their  number  had  made  an  actual  compact  with  Satan, 
by  which  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  become  his  faith- 
ful subjects,  and  do  what  they  could  to  promote  his  cause. 
Thus  a  witch,  or  wizard,  the  former  term  being  applied 
to  the  female  and  the  latter  to  the  male  members  of 
the  community,  was  considered  in  the  light  of  a  person 
who  "  transferred  allegiance  and  worship  from  God  to.  the 
devil."  1 

The  earliest  trial  for  witchcraft  in  Massachusetts  occurred 
in  1648,  when  Margaret  Jones,  of  Charlestown,  was  "  in- 
dicted and  found  guilty  of  witchcraft,  and  hanged  for  it."  ^ 
During  a  period  of  forty  years  there  were  similar  instances 
in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  The  evidences  of  be- 
witchment were  various.  "  Sometimes  they  would  be  deaf, 
then  dumb,  then  blind  ;  and  sometimes  all  these  disorders 
together  would  come  upon  them.  Their  tongues  would 
be  drawn  down  their  throats,  then  pulled  out  upon  their 
chins.  Their  jaws,  necks,  shoulders,  elbows,  and  all  their 
joints  would  appear  to  be  dislocated,  and  they  would  make 
most  piteous  outcries  of  burnings,  of  being  cut  with  knives, 
beat,  &c.,  ftnd  the  marks  of  wounds  w^ere  afterwards  to  be 
seen."  All  the  divines  of  the  period  labored  hard  to  prove 
that  these  were  the  effects  of  familiarity  with  the  devil. 
"  So  violent  was  the  popular  prejudice  against  every  appear- 
ance of  witchcraft,  that  it  was  deemed  meritorious  to  de- 
nounce all  that  gave  the  least  reason  for  suspicion.  Every 
child   and  gossip  was   prepared  to   recognize   a   witch,  and 

'  Upham's  Lcct.  on  Witch.,  9-19.  *  Winthrop,  ii.  32G. 


156  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

no  one  could  be  certain  of  personal  safety.  As  the  infatua- 
tion increased,  many  of  the  most  reputable  females,  and 
several  males  also,  were  apprehended  and  committed  to 
prison.  There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that,  in  some  in- 
stances, the  vicious  and  abandoned  availed  themselves  of 
opportunities  of  gratifying  their  corrupt  passions  of  envy, 
malice,  and  revenge."  ^ 

For  some  years  previous  to  1692,  a  controversy  respecting 
the  settlement  of  a  minister  had  subsisted  in  Salem.  Sev- 
eral of  the  most  influential  persons,  "  who  had  been 
considered  as  the  fathers  and  governors  of  the  town  for 
half  a  century,"  had  recently  been  removed  by  death. 
Enough  bigoted  and  superstitious  believers  in  the  doctrine 
of  witchcraft  remained  to  assert  that  these  misfortunes  were 
wholly  caused  by  satanic  influence,  and  by  their  own  opinions 
and  arguments  they  only  aggravated  the  general  prejudice 
and  fanaticism.  "  The  spark  fell  upon  inflammable  mat- 
ter," says  Dr.  Bentley,  "  and,  behold,  how  great  a  matter  a 
little  fire  kindleth."  2 

In  the  month  of  February,  1692,  two  girls,  a  daughter 
and  a  niece  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parris,  a  minister  of  Salem 
Village,^  aged  nine  and  twelve  years  respectively,  began  to 
act  "  in  a  strange  and  unusual  manner."  They  would 
utter  loud  and  piteous  cries,  creep  into  holes,  hide  under 
benches,  and  put  themselves  into  odd  postures.  The  ph3'si- 
cians  pronounced  them  bewitched.  Ere  long  other  girls 
in  the  neighborhood  were  afflicted  in  a  like  manner  ;  and 
Mr.  Parris,  having  invited  all  the  ministers  to  his  house  to 
unite  with  him  in  solemn  religious  services,  the  children 
became   more   violent,  and    "  cried   out   upon,"  or  accused, 

•  Thatcher,  Essay,  98.  '  Now  North  Danvera. 

»  Hist,  of  Salem,  m  M.  II.  Coll. 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  157 

Tituba,  an  Indian  woman  attached  to  the  famil}-,  of  liaving 
bewitched  them.  Tituba  denied  that  she  was  herself  a 
witch,  but  acknowledged  that  she  had  learned  how  to 
discover  one.  Such  a  confession  as  this  was  enough  to 
satisfy  the  credulity  of  her  accusers.  Next  the  children 
complained  of  Sarah  Good  and  of  Sarah  Osborn,  the  one  a 
melanchol}'  and  distracted  woman,  and  the  other  an  old 
bed-ridden  woman  ;  and  these  were  arrested  and  thrown  into 
prison.  A  few  weeks  later,  two  other  women,  of  most  ex- 
cellent character,  Corey  and  Nurse,  Avere  likewise  accused 
and  put  in  irons.  The  husband  of  Tituba,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  fear,  charged  other  persons  with  the  same  crime ; 
and  Parris  proclaimed  that  "■  the  devil  hath  been  raised 
among  us,  and  his  rage  is  vehement  and  terrible,  and  when 
he  shall  be  silenced  the  Lord  only  knows."  ^ 

The  number  of  the  accused  daily  multiplied.  The  ministers 
from  the  pulpits  preached  inflammatory  sermons,  and  thus 
kindled  popular  indignation  into  a  blaze.  One  of  the  princi- 
pal actors  in  this  whole  affair  was  Cotton  Mather,  who  as- 
pired to  be  considered  as  the  great  champion  of  the  church, 
and  the  most  successful  combatant  against  the  prince  of  the 
power  of  the  air.  Folly  seems  to  have  reduced  his  sobriety 
of  judgment,  and  to  have  made  him  a  dupe  to  his  own 
credulity.  He  adopted  the  doctrine  of  demons,  wrote  much 
on  the  subject  of  witchcraft,  and  repeatedly  endeavored  to 
get  up  a  delusion  of  the  kind  in  Boston.  Indeed,  there 
are  strong  reasons  for  supposing  that  he  was  instrumental 
in  causing  the  delusion  in  Salem.  The  burden  of  blame 
of  the  terrible  tragedy  of  his  time  rests  largely  upon  him. 
Others  may  have  been  culpable,  and  have  done  much  to  foster 
the  delusion ;  and  the  people  themselves  were,  undoubtedly, 

»  Calcf,  in  Fowler's  Salem  Witchcraft. 


158  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

in  perfect  concurrence  with  the  modes  of  thinking  in  the 
times  in  which  they  lived.  Mather  was  learned,  and,  as  an 
historian,  bequeathed  rich  and  important  matter  to  pos- 
terity :  for  so  doing,  this  countr}^  owes  him  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude. On  the  other  hand,  his  mind  was  prone  to  bigotry 
and  dogmatism  in  religion,  his  ways  were  exceedingly  art- 
ful and  cunning,  and,  in  his  attempts  to  shift  the  blame  of 
folly  upon  others,  and  at  the  same  time  to  keep  alive  stu- 
pidity and  superstition  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  he  was 
not  outdone  even  by  a  Jesuit.  The  manner  in  which  he 
endeavored  to  escape  the  odium  that  attached  to  the  prose- 
cutions is  characteristic  of  the  man.  "  I  do  humbly  but 
freely  affirm,"  he  says,  "  that  there  is  not  a  man  living 
in  this  world  who  has  been  more  desirous  than  the  poor 
man  I,  to  shelter  my  neighbors  from  the  inconveniencies  of 
spectral  outcries  ;  yea,  I  am  very  jealous  I  have  done  so  much 
that  way  as  to  sin  in  what  I  have  done ;  such  have  been  the 
cowardice  and  fearlessness,  whereunto  my  regard  unto  the 
dissatisfaction  of  other  people  has  precipitated  me.  I  know 
a  man  in  the  world,  Avho  has  thought  he  has  been  able  to 
convict  some  such  witches  as  ought  to  die  ;  but  his  respect 
unto  the  public  peace  has  caused  him  rather  to  try  whether 
he  could  not  renew  them  by  repentance."  ^ 

Before  the  end  of  March  the  number  of  the  afflicted 
had  increased  to  ten  ;  and  as  "  Satan's  assaults "  were  not 
suffered  to  subside  for  the  want  of  support,  six  of  the 
magistrates  were  convened  at  Salem,  and  formal  proceedings 
were  instituted.^     On  this  occasion  the  ministers  were  pres- 

'  Mather,  Wonders  of  the  Invisible  World,  in  Fowler. 

*  "Let  us  walk  on  through  Essex  Street,  unheeding  the  throng,  unmindful 
of  the  statelier  buildings,  until  we  approaeh  an  ancient  landmark  at  the 
corner  of  North  Street.  Its  claims  on  our  attention  are  twofold.  It  is  said 
to   have   been  the   dwelling  of  Roger  Williams,  for  whom  Southey,  when 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  159 

ent,  and  Parris  was  "  conspicuous  for  the  officiousness  of 
his  zeal."  From  his  own  record,  still  extant,  it  appears 
that  the  latter  was  neither  an  impartial  advocate  nor  an  un- 
biassed judge.  The  door  being  once  opened,  the  number  of 
the  prisoners  rapidly  increased.  The  most  effectual  way  to 
escape  accusation  was  to  become  an  accuser.  More  than 
a  hundred  women,  in  the  towns  of  Salem,  Beverly,  Andover, 
Billerica,  &c.,  were  committed  to  jail.  Goodwife  Corey, 
being  apprehended,  was  brought  in  for  trial.  In  the  court- 
room several  witnesses  were  present  who  professed  to  have 
been  bewitched  by  her,  and  the  "  most  of  them  accused 
her  of  biting,  pinching,  and  strangling,  and  said  that  they 
did,  in  their  fits,  see  her  likeness  coming  to  them  and  bring- 
ing a  book  for  them  to  sign."  The  woman  could  only  deny 
these  charges,  and  was,  therefore,  remanded  to  jail.  Shortly 
afterwards  a  negro  slave  was  examined.  *'Are  you  a 
witch  ? "  inquired  the  magistrate.  "  Candy  no  witch  in 
her  countr}'.  Candy's  mother  no  witch.  Candy  no  witch, 
Barbadoes.  This  country,  mistress  give  Candy  witch." 
"  Did  your  mistress  make  you  a  witch  in  this  country  ?  " 
"  Yes,  in  this  country,  mistress  give  Candy  witch."  "  What 
did  your   mistress  do  to  make   you  a  witch?"     "Mistress 

reminded  that  "Wales  had  been  more  famous  for  mutton  than  great  men, 
avowed  he  had  a  sincere  respect ;  yet  it  is  even  more  celebrated  as  the  scene 
of  examinations  during  the  Reign  of  Terror  in  1692.  In  appearance  the  origi- 
nal house  might  have  been  transplanted  out  of  old  London.  Its  peaked 
gables,  witli  pine-apples  carved  in  wood  surmounting,  its  latticed  windows, 
and  colossal  chinmey,  put  it  unmistakably  in  the  age  of  ruffs,  Spanish 
cloaks,  and  long  rapiers.  It  has  long  been  divested  of  its  antique  Eng- 
lish character,  now  appearing  no  more  tlian  a  reminiscence  of  its  former 
self.  However,  from  a  recessed  area  at  the  back,  its  narrow  casements  and 
excrescent  stairways  are  yet  to  be  seen.  A  massive  frame,  filled  between 
with  brick,  plastered  with  clay,  witli  the  help  of  its  tower-like  chimney,  has 
stood  immovable  against  the  assaults  of  time.  Such  houses  —  and  their 
number  is  not  large  —  represent  the  original  forest  that  stood  on  the  site 
of  ancient  Salem."  —  Drake,  Nooks  and  Corners  of  the  N.  E.  Coast,  222. 


160  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

bring  book,  and  pen,  and  ink,  make  Candy  write  in  it." 
Mrs.  Haskins,  the  mistress,  being  brought  in,  could  save 
her  life  only  by  making  a  confession. 

The  story  of  Mrs.  Carey,  of  Charlestown,  is  thus  told  by 
her  husband :  "  Having  for  some  days  heard  that  my  wife 
was  accused  of  witchcraft,  and  being  much  disturbed  at 
it,  we  went  to  Salem  by  advice  to  see  if  the  afflicted  knew 
her.  The  prisoners  were  called  in  before  the  justices,  singly, 
and  as  they  entered  were  cried  out  against  by  the  afflicted 
girls.  The  prisoners  were  placed  about  seven  or  eight  feet 
from  the  justices,  and  the  accusers  between  the  justices  and 
the  prisoners.  The  prisoners  were  ordered  to  stand  directly 
before  the  justices,  with  an  officer  appointed  to  hold  each 
hand  lest  they  should  therewith  afflict  the  girls ;  and  the 
prisoners'  eyes  must  be  constantly  fixed  on  the  justices ; 
for  if  they  looked  on  the  afflicted,  they  would  either  fall 
into  these  fits,  or  cry  out  of  being  hurt  by  them :  after 
examination  of  the  prisoners,  who  it  was  that  afflicted  these 
girls,  &c.,  they  put  them  upon  saying  the  Lord's  Prayer  as 
a  trial  of  their  guilt.  When  the  afflicted  seemed  to  be 
out  of  their  fits,  they  would  look  steadfastly  on  some  one 
person,  and  not  speak,  and  then  the  justices  said  they  were 
struck  dumb ;  and  after  a  little  time  they  would  speak  again  ; 
then  the  justices  said  to  the  accusers,  Which  of  you  will 
go  and  touch  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  ?  Then  the  most 
courageous  would  venture,  but  before  they  made  three  steps 
would  fall  on  the  floor  as  if  in  a  fit.  The  justices  then 
ordered  that  they  should  be  taken  up  and  carried  to  the 
prisoner,  that  she  might  touch  them ;  and  as  soon  as  this 
was  done  the  justices  would  say  they  are  all  well,  before 
I  could  discern  any  alteration ;  but  the  justices  seemed  to 
understand  the  manner  of  the  strange  juggle.     Two  of  the 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  161 

accusers,  who  pretended  to  be  bewitehed,  were  Abi^^ail  Wil- 
liams, niece  of  Mr.  Parris,  aged  eleven  or  twelve  years, 
and  Indian  John,  the  husband  of  Tituba,  who  was  now 
in  jail.  This  fellow  had  himself  been  accused  of  witchcraft, 
but  had  now  become  an  accuser  for  his  own  safety.  He 
showed  several  old  scars,  which  he  said  were  the  elfects 
of  witchcraft,  but  more  likel}'^  of  the  lash.  On  inquiry 
who  they  would  accuse  as  the  cause  of  their  sufferings,  they 
cried  out  Care}' ;  and  iniinediately  a  warrant  was  sent  by 
the  justices  to  bring  my  wife  before  them.  Her  chief  ac- 
cusers Avcre  two  girls  ;  my  wife  declared  to  the  justices  that 
she  never  had  an}-  knowledge  of  them  before  that  day. 

"  She  was  obliged  to  stand  with  her  arms  extended.  I  re- 
quested that  I  might  IkjUI  one  of  her  hands,  but  it  was 
denied  me.  Slic  then  desired  that  I  would  wipe  the  tears 
and  the  sweat  from  her  face,  and  that  she  might  lean  her- 
self on  me,  as  she  was  faint ;  but  Justice  llatiiorn  said  she 
had  strength  enough  to  torment  those  persons,  and  she 
should  have  strength  enough  to  stand.  I  lemonstrated 
against  such  cruel  treatment,  but  was  commanded  to  be 
silent,  or  I  should  be  turned  out  of  the  room.  Indian  John 
was  now  called  in  to  be  one  of  the  accusers  ;  he  fell  down 
and  tumbled  about  like  a  brute,  but  said  nothing.  The  jus- 
tices asked  the  girls  who  afflicted  the  Indian  ;  they  answered, 
she  (meaning  my  wife)  :  the  justices  ordered  her  to  touch 
him  in  order  to  his  cure  ;  but  her  head  must  be  turned 
another  wa}',  lest,  instead  of  curing,  she*  should  make  him 
worse  by  looking  on  him  ;  her  hand  was  guided  to  take  Injid 
of  his,  l)ut  the  Indian  seized  hold  of  her  hand,  and  pulled 
her  down  on  the  floor  in  a  violent  manner  ;  then  his  hand 
was  taken  off,  and  her  hand  put  on  his,  and  the  cure  was 
quickly  wrought.  My  wife,  after  being  thus  cruelly  treated, 
21 


162  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

was  put  into  prison,  and  the  jailer  was  ordered  to  put  irons 
on  lier  legs  which  weighed  about  eight  pounds.  These 
chains,  with  her  other  afflictions,  soon  produced  convulsion 
fits,  so  that  I  was  apprehensive  she  would  have  died  that 
night.  I  entreated  that  the  irons  might  be  removed,  but 
in  vain.  I  now  attended  the  trials  at  Salem,  and  finding 
that  spectre  evidence,  together  with  idle  or  malicious  stories, 
was  received  against  the  lives  of  innocent  people,  I  trembled 
for  the  fate  of  my  wife,  as  the  same  evidence  that  would 
serve  for  one  would  serve  for  all.  In  this  awful  situation, 
I  thought  myself  justifiable  in  devising  some  means  of  es- 
cape ;  and  this,  through  the  goodness  of  God,  was  effected. 
We  were  pursued  as  far  as  Rhode  Island,  but  we  reached 
New  York  in  safety,  where  we  were  kindly  received  by 
Governor  Fletcher.  To  speak  of  the  treatment  of  the  pris- 
oners, and  the  inhumanity  shown  them  at  their  executions, 
is   more   than  any  sober  Christian  can  endure.     Those   that 

suffered,  being   many  of  them    church   members,  and   most 

♦ 
of  them  of  blameless  conversation."  ^ 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  new  government,  the  sad 
work  of  prosecution  proceeded  with  increased  violence.  Mr. 
Phips,  the  governor,  and  Stoughton,  the  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor, 0A\ed  their  elevation  to  office  to  the  favor  of  the 
Mathers,  and  both  "had  one  trait  in  common" — a  regard 
to  their  private  interests.  Each  fell  in  with  the  spirit  of 
the  age,  and  sanctioned  it  by  official  support.  One  of  the 
first  acts  of  the  new  administration  was  the  institution  of 
a  court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  ;  and  in  June  and  July  this 
court  continued  in  session  at  Salem.  The  officers  of  this 
court  were  William  Stoughton,  chief  judge,  Nathaniel  Sal- 
tonstall,  John   Richards,  Bartholomew   Gedney,  Wait  Win- 

'  Carcy*s  statement  in  Thatcher,  122,  seq. 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  163 

throp,  Samuel  Sewall,  and  Peter  Sargent.  The  first  experi- 
ment was  made  on  Bridget  Bishop,  a  poor,  friendless  woman. 
Parris  preferred  the  charges  against  her,  and  was  himself  the 
principal  witness.  "  There  was  one  very  strange  thing 
more,"  adds  Dr.  Mather,  after  enumerating  these  charges, 
"  with  which  the  court  was  newly  entertained.  As  this 
woman  was  under  a  guard,  and  passing  by  the  great  and 
spacious  meeting-house  of  Salem,  she  gave  a  look  towards 
the  house,  and  immediately  a  demon,  invisibly  entering 
the  meeting-house,  tore  down  a  part  of  it,  so  that  though 
there  was  no  person  to  be  seen  there,  yet  the  people,  at 
the  noise,  running  in,  found  a  board,  which  was  strongly 
fastened  with  several  nails,  transported  unto  another  quarter 
of  the  house."  ^  By  the  rules  of  Keeble  and  Sir  Matthew 
Hale,  of  Baxter  and  Cotton  Mather,  Bridget  Bishop  was 
pronounced  a  "  notorious  witeh,"  and  on  the  10th  of  June 
she  was  hanged.     The  court  then  adjourned. 

On  the  30th  the  court  assembled  again,  and  five  pale, 
haggard,  despairing  women,  Sarah  Good,  Sarah  Wildes,  Eliza- 
beth Howe,  Susanna  Martin,  and  Rebecca  Nurse,  were 
brought  in  for  trial.  All  of  them  had  liad  a  previous  hearing, 
and  been  committed  to  jail.  ^Mr.  Noyes,  the  minister,  urged 
Sarah  Good  to  confess,  saying  he  knew  she  was  a  witch, 
and  she  knew  she  was  a  witch.  "  You  are  a  liar,"  she 
replied  ;  "  I  am  no  more  a  witch  than  you  are  a  wizard."  ^ 
At  the  trial  of  Susanna  JNIartin,  it  was  proved  that  one 
John  Kembel  had  promised  to  purchase  a  puppy  from  the 
prisoner,  but  had,  instead,  bought  one  of  another  person, 
and  that  iNIartiu  was  heard  to  say,  "  If  I  live,  I  will  give 

'  JIntlicr,  in  Fowler.     Hale,  Modest  Inquiry,  37. 

*  "  Mr.  Noyes  was  a  learned,  a  charitable,  and  a  good  man,  though  all  the 
devils  in  hell,  and  all  the  possessed  in  Salem,  should  assert  the  contrary." 
Brattle,  in  1  M.  H.  Coll.,  v.  G4. 


164  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

him  puppies  enough."  To  the  following  piece  of  evidence 
the  court  attached  great  weight :  "  Within  a  few  days 
after  this,  Kembel  coming  out  of  the  woods,  there  arose 
a  little  black  cloud  in  the  north-west,  and  Kembel  imme- 
diately felt  a  force  upon  him,  which  made  him  not  able 
to  avoid  running  upon  the  stumps  of  trees  that  were  be- 
fore him,  although  he  had  a  broad,  plain  cartway  before 
him ;  but  though  he  had  his  axe  on  his  shoulder  to  en- 
danger him  in  his  falls,  he  could  not  forbear  going  out 
of  his  way  to  tumble  over  them.  When  he  came  below 
the  meeting-house,  there  appeared  to  him  a  little  thing 
like  a  puppy  of  a  darkish  color,  and  it  shot  backwards 
and  forwards  between  his  legs.  He  had  the  courage  to 
use  all  possible  endeavors  to  cut  it  with  his  axe,  but  he 
could  not  hit  it ;  the  puppy  gave  a  jump  from  him,  and 
went,  as  to  him  it  seemed,  into  the  ground.  Going  a  little 
further,  there  appeared  unto  him  a  black  puj^py,  some- 
what bigger  than  the  first,  but  as  black  as  a  coal.  Its 
motions  were  quicker  than  those  of  his  axe.  It  flew  at 
his  body  and  at  his  throat,  so  over  his  shoulders  one  w^ay, 
then  over  his  shoulders  another  way.  His  heart  now  be- 
gan to  fail  him,  and  he  thought  the  dog  would  have  torn 
his  throat  out ;  but  he  recovered  himself,  and  naming  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  vanished  away  at  once." 

Rebecca  Nurse  was  universally  beloved  by  her  neighbors. 
She  was  aged  and  infirm,  and  at  her  trial  the  jury  rendered 
a  verdict  of  "  not  guilty."  However,  "  the  honored  court 
was  pleased  to  object  against  the  verdict."  The  jury  were 
ordered  out  again  to  consider  better  one  expression  of  the 
prisoner  when  before  the  court.  They  now  brought  her  in 
guilty.  After  her  condemnation,  she  Avas  taken  in  chains  to 
the   meeting-house  to   be  formally  excommunicated  by  Mr. 


THE   WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  165 

Noyes,  and  "  given  to  the  devil."  A  few  days  later  the  gov- 
ernor, for  some  reason  or  other,  granted  a  reprieve  ;  but 
her  deluded  persecutor,  Panis,  Loth  preached  and  prayed 
against  her  so  successfully  that  the  reprieve  was  recalled.^ 
On  the  19th  of  July,  these  five  condemned  women  were 
conducted  through  the  narrow  laiic,  where  stood  the  jail,  to 
the  bleak  s^unmit  of  Gallows  Hill.  A  crowd  has  assem- 
bled, and  a  trained  band  of  musketeers,  armed  and  watch- 
ful, are  to  bear  them  company.  With  tottering  steps  the 
victims  mount  the  cart ;  the  guards  surround,  and  all  is 
ready.  It  required  a  company  of  men,  in  that  age  of 
superstition,  to  conduct  five  helpless  women  to  their  death. 
Arrived  at  the  scene  of  execution,  silence  is  imposed  upon 
the  multitude.  The  provost-marshal  reads  the  warrant, 
and  the  jDrisoners  are  pinioned  and  blindfolded.  Five  mar- 
tyrs stand  upon  the  gallows,  and,  in  the  name  of  William 
and  Mar}',  they  are  launched  into  eternity,  "  What  a 
sad  sight  it  is  to  see  eight  firebrands  of  hell  hanoino; 
there  !  "  says  INIr.  Noj^es,  turning  toward  the  lifeless  bodies. 
On  the  5th  of  August  the  court  sat  again,  and  four 
men  and  one  woman  were  sentenced  to  be  executed.  Of 
the  number  was  Mr.  George  Burroughs,  a  man  of  the  most 
exemplary  Christian  character.  He  had  received  the  honors 
of  Harvard  College  in  1G70,  and  at  the  time  of  his  arrest 
he  was  the  minister  of  a  congregation  in  Wells,  a  town 
in  Maine.  It  was  alleged  against  him  that  he  possessed 
superhuman  strength,  and  had  been  seen  to  perform  almost 
miraculous  feats.  The  prisoner  at  the  bar  had  little  to 
say  in  refutation  of  the  charges  of  his  accusers.  Being 
condemned,  in  rags  he  was  carried  in  a  cart  through  the 
streets   of    Salem   to   his   execution,   which    took   place   on 

>  M.  H.  Coll.,  xxiii.  175. 


166        '  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  19th  of  the  same  month.  "While  Mr.  Burroughs," 
sa3^s  a  contemporary  writer,  "  was  on  the  ladder,  he  made 
a  speech,  for  the  clearing  of  his  innocency,  with  such  solemn 
and  serious  expressions  as  were  to  the  admiration  of  all 
present;  his  prayer  was  so  well  worded,  and  uttered  with 
such  composedness  and  such  fervency  of  spirit,  as  Avas 
very  affecting,  and  drew  tears  from  many,  so  that  it  seemed 
to  some  that  the  spectators  would  hinder  the  execution." 
After  his  execution,  his  body  was  dragged  by  a  rope  over 
the  ground,  and  buried  among  the  rocks.  This  ignominious 
death  was  the  reward  bestowed  upon  an  octogenarian  life  ! 

John  AVillard  was  another  victim  on  this  fatal  day.  He 
had  been  employed  to  arrest  suspected  persons,  but  be- 
coming convinced  of  the  injustice  of  such  proceedings,  he 
refused  to  work  longer.  The  afflicted  immediately  de- 
nounced him,  and,  being  condemned,  he  suffered  death  on 
the  gallows.  John  Proctor  and  his  wife  were  sentenced 
on  the  same  day.  Foreseeing  his  doom,  the  former  had 
sent  a  petition,  not  to  the  governor  and  council,  but  to 
Cotton  Mather  and  the  ministers.  But  all  his  entreaties 
were  vain.  The  witnesses  against  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  were 
Indian  John  and  three  or  four  girls.  The  evidence  was 
exceedingly  whimsical,  as  is  manifest  from  the  following 
extract :  "  Elizabeth  Proctor,  you  understand  whereof  you 
are  charged,  viz.,  to  be  guilty  of  sundry  acts  of  witch- 
craft ;  what  say  you  to  it  ?  Speak  the  truth,  as  you  will 
answer  it  before  God  another  day."  "  I  take  God  in 
heaven  to  be  my  witness,  that  I  know  nothing  of  it,  no 
more  than  a  child."  Her  husband  was  also  in  court,  and 
the  girls  now  began  to  cry  out  against  him.  "  What  hurts 
you  ?  "  asked  the  court.  "  Goodman  Proctor,  and  his  wife, 
too."      "  What   do   you    say,    Goodman    Proctor,   to    these 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  1^7 

things?  "  "  I  know  not ;  I  am  entirely  innocent."  By  such 
miseraLlc.  evidence  they  were  both  sentenced  to  execution. 
Elizabeth  Proctor,  being  with  cliild,  was  reprieved.^ 

Her  own  children  were  among  the  witnesses  against  Mar- 
tha Carrier.  It  was  asked  her  daughter,  a  child  of  seven 
years  of  age,  "  How  long  hast  thou  been  a  witch?  "  "Ever 
since  I  was  six  years  old."  "How  old  are  you  now?" 
"  Near  eight  years  old ;  brother  Richard  says  I  shall  be 
eight  years  old  in  November  next."  "  Who  made  you  a 
witch  ? "  "  My  mother  ;  she  made  me  set  my  hand  to  a 
book."  "  How  did  you  set  your  hand  to  it  ?  "  "  I  touched 
it  with  my  fingers  ;  and  the  book  was  red,  the  paper  of  it 
was  white."  The  child  said  she  had  never  seen  the  black 
man  ;  the  place  where  she  had  set  her  hand  to  the  book 
was  in  Andrew  Foster's  pasture,  and  Elizabeth  Johnson,  Jr., 
was  there.  Being  asked  who  was  there  besides,  she  an- 
swered, her  aunt  Toothakcr,  and  her  cousin.  Being  asked 
when  it  was,  she  said  when  she  was  baptized.  "  What  did 
they  promise  to  give  you  ?  "  "A  black  dog."  "  Did  the 
dog  ever  come  to  3'ou  ? "  "No."  "But  you  said  you 
saw  a  cat  once;  what  did  that  say  to  you?"  "It  said 
it  would  tear  me  in  pieces  if  I  would  not  set  my  hand 
to  the  book."  "  How  did  you  afflict  folks  ?  "  "I  pinched 
them."  "  How  did  your  mother  come  to  you  when  she  was 
in  prison  ?  "  "  She  came  like  a  black  cat."  "  How  did 
you  know  it  was  your  mother?"  *' The  cat  told  me  so, 
that  she  was  my  mother."  In  concluding  his  report  of  the 
trial,  Cotton  ]\Iather  writes,  "  This  rampant  hag,  ]\Iartha  Car- 
rier, was  the  person  of  whom  the  confessions  of  the  witches, 
and  of  her  own  children  among  the  rest,  agreed,  that  the 
devil  had  promised  her  she  should  be  queen  of  hell." 

*  Calef,  in  Fowler. 


168  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Margaret  Jacobs  accused  lier  aged  grandfather,  and  then, 
wounded  by  her  conscience,  retracted  her  confession.  "  The 
Lord,  I  hope,  in  whom  I  trust,  out  of  the  abundance  of  his 
mercy,  will  forgive  me  my  false  forswearing  myself.  What 
I  said  was  altogether  false  against  my  grandfather  and  Mr. 
Burroughs,  which  I  did  to  save  my  life  and  to  have  my 
libert}'^ ;  but  the  Lord  charging  it  to  my  conscience,  made 
me  in  so  much  horror,  that  I  could  not  contain  myself 
before  I  had  denied  my  confession  ;  choosing  rather  deatli 
with  a  quiet  conscience,  than  to  live  in  such  horror.  And 
now,  may  it  please  your  honors,  I  leave  it  to  your  pious 
and  judicious  discretion,  to  take  pity  and  compassion  on 
my  young  and  tender  years,  to  act  and  to  do  with  me  as 
the  Lord  and  your  honors  shall  see  good ;  having  no  friend 
but  the  Lord  to  plead  my  cause,  not  being  guilty  in  the 
least  measure  of  the  crime  of  witchcraft,  nor  any  other 
sin  that  deserves  death  from  the  hands  of  man."  The 
magistrates  refused  to  credit  her  confession,  and  hung  her 
grandfather.  Thus  five  more  were  executed  on  the  19th  of 
August. 

Giles  Corey,  aged  about  eighty  years,  was  brought  to  trial, 
and,  seeing  that  all  were  convicted,  refused  to  plead.  By  an 
old  English  law,  he  was  condemned  to  be  i)ressed  to  death. 
When  in  the  agonies  of  death  the  victim  thrust  out  his 
tongue,  and  the  officer  pushed  it  into  his  mouth  with  his 
cane.  Corey's  wife  su"ffered  at  the  gallows,  where  she  made 
an  eminent  prayer.  On  the  22d  of  September,  two  men 
and  six  women  were  executed  ;  and  this  was  the  last  exe- 
cution.i  Already  twenty  persons  had  been  cruelly  put  to 
death.     Never,   perhaps,    was   the    sacred    prediction    more 

'  See  the  poet  Longfellow's  tragedy  of  "Giles  Corey,  of  Salem  Farms," 
which  is  founded  on  these  events. 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  •     1G9 

striking!}*  veiified  :  "  From  henceforth  tlierc  shall  bo  fivo 
in  one  house  divided,  three  against  two,  and  two  against 
three.  The  father  shall  be  divided  against  the  son,  and 
the  son  against  the  father ;  the  mother  against  the  daughter 
and  the  daughter  against  the  mother ;  the  mother-in- 
law  against  her  daughter-in-law,  and  the  daughter-in-law 
against  her  mother-in-law."  Whilst  the  prosecutions  were 
continued,  it  was  a  season  of  the  deepest  gloom  and  anxiety. 
For  a  time  no  life  was  safe ;  and  so  great  was  the  prevailing 
terror  that  whosoever  was  charged  with  guilt  confessed  it, 
and  thus  blinded  the  judges.  "  From  INIarch  to  August, 
1692,"  writes  Dr.  Bentley,  "  was  the  most  distressing  time 
Salem  ever  knew :  business  was  interrupted,  the  town  de- 
serted, terror  was  in  every  countenance,  and  distress  in  every 
heart.  Every  place  was  the  subject  of  some  direful  tale, 
fear  haunted  every  street,  —  mehi^iclioly  dwelt  in  silence 
in  ever}-  place  after  the  sun  retired.  The  population  was 
diminished,  business  could  not  for  some  time  recover  its 
former  channels,  and  the  innocent  suffered  with  the  guilty. 
But  as  soon  as  the  judges  ceased  to  condemn,  the  people 
ceased  to  accuse.  Terror  at  the  violence  and  the  guilt  of  the 
proceedings  succeeded  instantly  to  the  conviction  of  blind 
zeal,  and  what  every  man  had  encouraged,  all  now  professed 
to  abhor.  Every  expression  of  sorrow  was  found  in  Salem. 
The  church  erased  all  the  ignominy  they  had  attached  to 
the  dead,  by  recording  a  most  humble  acknowledgment  of 
their  error.  But  a  diminished  population,  the  injury  done  to 
religion,  and  the  distress  of  the  aggrieved,  were  seen  and 
felt  with  the  greatest  sorrow."  ^ 

When  charges  were  brought  against  persons  of  whose  in- 
nocence everybody  was  satisfied,  the    crisis   was  produced. 

'  History  of  Salem,  in  M.  H.  Coll. 

22 


170  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Even  the  imbecile  mind  of  Cotton  Mather  learned  a  lesson 
by  experience,  and  he  was  forced  to  exclaim,  "  The  whole 
business  is  hereupon  become  so  snarled,  and  the  determina- 
tion of  the  question,  one  way  or  another,  so  dismal,  that  our 
honorable  judges  have  room  for  Jehoshaphat's  exclamation, 
We  know  not  what  to  do.  They  have  used,  as  judges  have 
heretofore  done,  the  spectral  evidences,  to  introduce  their 
further  inquiries  into  the  lives  of  the  persons  accused  ;  and 
they  have  thereupon,  by  the  wonderful  providence  of  God, 
been  so  strengthened  with  other  evidences,  that  some  of  the 
witch  gang  have  been  fairl}'-  executed.  But  what  shall  be 
done  as  to  those  against  whom  the  evidence  is  found  chiefly 
in  the  dark  world  ?  Here  they  do  solemnly  demand  our 
addresses  to  the  Father  of  lights  on  their  behalf.  But  in 
the  mean  time  the  devil  improves  the  darkness  of  this  affair 
to  push  us  into  a  blind  luan's  buffet ;  and  we  are  ever  ready 
to  be  sinfully,  yea,  hotly  and  madly,  mauling  one  another 
in  the  dark.  The  consequence  of  these  things  every  con- 
siderate man  trembles  at,  and  the  more,  because  the  fre- 
quent cheats  of  passion  and  rumor  do  precipitate  so  many 
that  I  wish  I  could  say  the  most  were  considerate."  ^ 

At  this  juncture  the  court  adjourned.  Before  it  assem- 
bled again.  Cotton  Mather  prepared  his  account  of  "  The 
Wonders  of  the  Invisible  World,"  with  the  design  of  pro- 
moting "  a  pious  thankfulness  to  God  for  justice  being  so 
far  executed  among  us."  The  accusation  of  Mrs.  Hale, 
wife  of  the  minister  of  Beverly,  broke  the  spell.     Such  was 

'  Mather,  in  Fowler.  Hale,  34-37.  In  reply  to  Calef,  Mather  compla- 
cently says,  "  For  my  own  part,  I  know  not  that  ever  I  have  advanced  any 
opinion  in  the  matter  of  witchcraft  but  what  all  the  ministers  of  the  Lord  that 
I  know  of  in  the  world,  whether  English  or  Scotch,  or  French  or  Dutch 
(and  I  know  many),  arc  of  the  same  opinion."  The  pamphlet  containing  this 
remarkable  assertion  is  in  the  Harvard  Library. 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  171 

her  genuine  and  distinguished  character  that  superstition 
itself  could  not  sully  it.  j\Ir.  Hale,  \Yho  had  Leen  active  in 
the  previous  proceedings,  was  less  active  wlien  the  storm 
turned  against  his  wife.  Moreover,  everybody  knew  her 
innocence  and  piet}-,  and  felt  that  her  accusers  had  perjured 
themselves.  Outraged  justice  stood  forth  once  more  in  the 
light  of  day,  and  wielded  her  powers  to  preserve.  The 
images  and  visions  that  had  possessed  the  bewildered  imagi- 
nations of  the  people  flitted  away.  All  men  could  have 
exclaimed,  in  the  language  of  the  great  master  of  the 
drama,  — 

"See!  they're  gone  — 
The  earth  has  bubbles,  as  the  waters  have, 
And  these  are  some  of  them ;  they  vanished 
Into  the  air,  and  what  seemed  corporal, 
Melted  as  breath  into  the  wind." 

Said  ]Mr.  Brattle,  whose  views  were  in  advance  of  his 
time,  "  The  court  is  adjourned  to  the  first  Tuesday  in 
November,  then  to  be  kept  at  Salem ;  between  this  and 
then  will  be  the  great  assembly,  in  which  this  subject  will 
be  peculiarly  agitated.  I  think  it  is  matter  of  earnest  sup- 
plication and  prayer  to  Almighty  God,  that  he  would  afford 
His  gracious  presence  to  the  said  assembly,  and  direct  them 
aright  in  so  weighty  an  affair.  Our  hopes  are  here  ;  and  if 
at  this  juncture  God  does  not  graciously  appear  for  us,  I 
think  we  may  conclude  that  New  England  is  undone."  ^  On 
the  18th  of  October  the  representatives  of  the  people  as- 
sembled ;  and  the  people  of  Andover  remonstrated  against 
the  doings  of  the  self-constituted  tribunal,  not  a  single  mem- 
ber  of   which,  from   the  chief  judge   down   to   the   lowest 

'  M.  H.  Coll.,  V.  76. 


172  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

official,  had  been  elected  by  the  suffrage  of  the  people. 
"  We  know  not,"  said  the  remonstrants,  "  Avho  can  think 
himself  safe,  if  the  accusations  of  children,  and  others  under 
a  diabolical  influence,  shall  be  received  against  persons  of 
good  fame."  ^  We  know  only  the  issue  of  the  discussions 
which  followed.  The  excess  of  the  evil  wrought  its  cure  ; 
and  as  the  excitement  subsided,  the  prominent  actors  in 
the  tragedy  began  to  reflect.  Sewall  acknowledged  his 
error,  and  begged  the  forgiveness  of  those  he  had  wronged. 
Hale  made  a  similar  confession  in  his  "  Modest  Inquiry."  ^ 

In  April,  1693,  many  members  of  his  church  drew  up 
articles  against  Mr.  Parris.  "  They  charge  the  said  Parris 
of  teaching  such  dangerous  errors  and  preaching  such  scan- 
dalous immoralities  as  ought  to  discharge  any  man,  though 
ever  so  gifted  otherwise,  from  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
Particularly  in  his  oath  against  the  lives  of  several,  wherein 
he  swears  that  the  prisoners  with  their  looks  knock  down 
those  pretended  sufferers.  We  humbly  conceive  that  he  who 
swears  to  more  than  he  is  certain  of,  is  equally  guilty  of 
perjury  with  him  that  swears  to  what  is  false."  Mr.  Parris 
was  allowed  no  peace  and  comfort  after  this  outburst  in  his 
parish  ;  and  the  inexorable  indignation  of  the  Salem  people 
finally  drove  him  from  the  place. ^ 

The  pudding-faced,  sanctimonious,  and  unfeeling  Stough- 
ton,  notwithstanding  that  the  twelve  men  who  had  served 
as  jurors  in  the  court  at  Salem  had  published  a  recantation 
of  their  sentiments,  never  repented.  When  lie  was  informed 
of  the  action  of  his  brethren,  he  observed  that  when  he  sat 


'  Calcf  in  Fowler.     Abbot's  Hisr.  of  Andover,  164. 

*  Hutchinson,  ii.  62.     Drake,  Hist,   of  Boston,  i.  502.     The   "Modest  In- 
quiry "  was  first  published  in  1697. 
^  Bentley,  Hist,  of  Salem.     Calef,  in  Fowler. 


THE    WITCHCRAFT  DELUSION.  173 

in  judgment,  he  liiid  the  fear  of  God  before  liis  eyes,  and 
gave  his  opinion  according  to  the  best  of  his  understanding. 
Although  it  might  appear  afterwards  that  he  had  been  mis- 
led into  error,  he  saw  no  necessity  of  making  a  public  ac- 
knowledgment of  it.^ 

Cotton  ]\Iiither,  as  wo  have  previously"  remarked,  was  the 
leading  champion  in  the  persecution  of  the  witches.  He 
also  never  repented.  The  public  mind  understood  him  at 
last ;  it  discovered  his  credulity  and  his  self-righteousness. 
In  order  to  shield  himself,  and  to  cover  up  his  confusion,  he 
endeavored  to  persuade  others  that  he  had  not  been  spe- 
cially active  in  the  tragedy.  But  he  found  it  to  be  a  task 
greater  than  ho  could  accomplish.  With  all  his  scholar- 
ship and  his  intellectual  ability,  he  was  by  his  whole  life  a 
bane  to  Massachusetts  and  New  England,  and  a  dupe  of  his 
own  stupidity. 

The  witchcraft  delusion  was,  at  the  best,  a  most  unhajipy 
affair.  Some  have  spoken  of  it  in  terms  of  contempt ;  others 
have  unsparingly  denounced  all  wlio  participated  in  it  ;  while 
only  a  few  have  weighed  the  subject  dispassionately.  Per- 
haps the  words  of  an  eminent  jurist  may  most  fittingly  close 
the  present  chapter : — 

"  "We  may  lament  the  errors  of  the  times,  which  led  to 
these  persecutions.  P>ut  surely  our  ancestors  had  no  special 
reasons  for  shame  in  a  belief  which  had  the  universal  sanc- 
tion of  their  own  and  all  former  ages  ;  which  counted  in  its 
train  philosophers  as  well  as  enthusiasts  ;  which  was  graced 
by  the  learning  of  prelates  as  well  as  b}'  the  countenance 
of  kings ;  which  the  law  supported  by  its  mandates,  and  the 
purest  judges  felt  no  compunctions  in  enforcing.  Let  Witch 
Hill  remain  forever  memorable  by- this  sad  catastrophe,  not 

'  Ilutcliinson,  ii.  C2. 


174  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

to  per|)etuate  our  dishonor,  but  as  an  affecting,  enduring 
proof  of  human  infirmity,  a  proof  that  perfect  justice  be- 
longs to  one  judgment-seat  only  —  that  which  is  linked  to 
the  throne  of  God."  i 

'  Hon.  Joseph  Story,  Centennial  Address,  182S. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   THE   PEOPLE.  175 


CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 

JosEPn  Dudley  was  removed  from  office  shortly  after 
the  accession  of  George  I.  An  attempt  was  made  to  confer 
the  government  of  Massachusetts  upon  Colonel  Burgess, 
Avlio,  although  he  was  a  professed  "  friend  to  liberty,"  and 
of  an  "  open,  generous,  and  humane  disposition,"  was  par- 
ticularly obnoxious  to  the  people.  He  did,  indeed,  receive 
his  commission  ;  but  the  offer  of  a  thousand  pounds  sterling 
persuaded  him  to  relinquish  the  same  in  favor  of  Samuel 
Shute,  who,  to  the  popular  element  at  least,  was  more  accepta- 
ble. The  politicians  of  New  England  had  many  prejudices  ; 
and  it  required  something  more  than  mere  administrative 
ability  to  overcome  them. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  administration  of  Governor 
Dudley  there  was  felt  a  serious  stringency  in  money  affairs. 
The  wars  which  England  had  waged  on  the  continent  of  Eu- 
rope had  not  only  largely  increased  her  own  debt  but  also 
crippled  the  resources  of  her  colonies.  To  remedy  the  evil, 
merchants  and  politicians  were  continuously  devising  schemes. 
Some  advocated  a  return  to  the  gold  and  silver  currency  ; 
others  argued  in  favor  of  a  public  bank  ;  while  still  others 
labored  for  the  establishment  of  a  private  bank.  The  gov- 
ernor's council  favored  the  public  bank;  but  the  house  was 
divided  in  opinion.  Thus  the  differences  of  opinion  gave  rise 
to  a  wide-spread  controversy,  which  was  agitated,  not  alone  by 


176  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  government,  but  by  the  whole  community  as  ■well.  After 
a  prolonged  wrangle,  the  public-bank  party  prevailed,  and 
"  a  loan  of  fifty  thousand  pounds  in  bills  of  credit  was 
agreed  to  by  the  General  Court,  which  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  trustees,  and  loaned  for  five  years  at  five  per  cent, 
interest,  one  fifth  of  the  principal  to  be  paid  yearly."  This 
settlement  of  the  vexed  question  was  displeasing  to  many ; 
and  if  it  diminished  the  strength  of  the  private-bank  party, 
it  increased  their  zeal.^ 

As  was  anticipated,  Governor  Shute,  upon  his  arrival  at 
Boston,  in  October,  1716,  allied  himself  with  the  party 
which  had  triumphed.  By  so  doing  he  won  no  friends  in 
the  private-bank  party  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  opposition  of 
the  latter  to  his  administration  was  from  beginning  to  end 
marked  by  extreme  violence. 

At  this  time  the  province  of  Massachusetts  was  in  a  prosper- 
ous condition.  Within  its  bounds  there  were  living  "  ninety- 
four  thousand  white  persons,  who  possessed  two  thousand 
slaves,  and  twelve  hundred  civilized  Indians,  who  professed 
Christianity  and  tilled  their  lands  in  peace."  The  popula- 
tion of  all  the  colonies  at  this  time  was,  according  to  the 
official  reports,  four  hundred  and  thirty-four  thousand  and 
six  hundred.  The  commerce  of  the  country  had  rapidly 
increased.  Massachusetts  owned  at  least  one  hundred  and 
ninety  vessels,  navigated  by  eleven  hundred  seamen ;  in  the 
fisheries  alone  one  hundred  and  fifty  vessels  and  six  hundred 
men  were  engaged.  "  The  value  of  the  annual  imports  to 
all  the  American  plantations  at  this  date  is  estimated  at 
'  one  million  sterling,  in  British  products  and  manufactures 
and  foreign  goods,'  the  conveyance  of  which  employed  at 
least  a  fourth  part  of  the  shipping  cleared  from  the  kingdom., 

•  Hutchinson,  ii.  187,  190.     Barry,  ii.  72. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   THE  PEOPLE.  177 

The  exports  at  the  same  date  amounted  to  eight  hundred 
thousand  pounds  sterling  ;  and  the  bahmee  of  two  hundred 
thousand  pounds  fell  upon  the  provinces  to  the  northward 
of  ^Maryland,  who  were  enabled  to  discharge  the  same  by 
the  trade  they  were  permitted  to  carry  on  in  America  and  to 
Europe,  in  commodities  not  enumerated  in  the  Acts  of  Trade. 
From  Boston  alone,  in  the  three  years  ending  June  24,  1717, 
there  were  cleared  for  the  West  Indies,  including  the  British 
islands,  five  hundred  and  eighteen  ships,  sloops,  and  other 
vessels ;  for  the  Bay  of  Campeachy,  twentj^ -five  vessels ;  for 
foreign  plantations,  fifty-eight  vessels  ;  for  Newfoundland, 
forty-five  vessels ;  for  Europe,  forty-three  vessels  ;  for  Ma- 
deira, the  Azores,  &c.,  thirty-four  vessels ;  for  Great  Britain, 
one  hundred  and  fort3^-three  vessels  ;  for  British  plantations 
on  the  continent,  three  hundred  and  ninety  vessels  ;  and 
eleven  vessels  for  '  ports  unknown  ; '  an  aggregate  of  twelve 
hundred  and  forty-seven  vessels,  amounting  to  sixt3'-two 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-eight  tons  of  shipping, 
and  employing  eight  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety-seven 
men."  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Massachusetts,  more  than  a 
centur}-  and  a  half  ago,  was  the  same  busy  and  enterprising 
community  as  at  present. 

"  If  the  colonies  are  so  prosperous,"  reasoned  the  king's 
ministers,  "  we  should  reap  the  benefit  of  that  prosperity  ;  and 
they,  as  subjects,  are  bound  to  contribute  to  the  relief  of  our 
necessities.  If  England  is  burdened  with  debt,  America 
must  aid  in  paying  that  debt ;  and  if  the  colonies  will  not 
voluntarily  submit,  they  must  be  forced  to  obey.  We  can 
make  our  power  felt ;  and  if  they  refuse  to  yield,  we  must 
punish  their  stubbornness  by  retrenching  their  privileges." 
If  England  was  not  prone  to  perceive  that  the  prosperity  of 
her  colonies  was  her  own  prosperity,  she  was  shrewd  enough 
23 


178  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

to  discover  that  proprietary  governments  showed  "  too  great 
an  inchnation  to  be  independent  of  their  mother  country, 
and  carried  on  a  trade  destructive  to  that  of  Great  Britain." 
"  It  hath  ever  been  the  wisdom,"  said  the  ministers,  "  not  only 
of  Great  Britain,  but  likewise  of  all  other  states,  to  secure 
by  all  possible  means  the  entire,  absolute,  and  immediate 
dependency  of  their  colonies."  Hence  the  beginning  of  an 
attempt  to  reduce  the  colonies  of  America  by  "  compelling 
them,  by  proper  laws,  to  follow  the  commands  sent  them  by 
the  crown." 

For  some  time  back  the  English  government  had  enter- 
tained the  opinion  that  manufactures  in  the  plantations 
*'  tended  to  lessen  their  dependence  on  Great  Britain."  It 
was  said  in  print,  as  early  as  1705,  that  "  the  colonists  will,  in 
process  of  time,  cast  off  their  allegiance  to  England,  and  set 
up  a  government  of  their  own  ;  "  and  soon  it  was  said,  "  by 
people  of  all  conditions  and  qualities,  that  their  increasing 
numbers  and  wealth,  joined  to  their  great  distance  from 
Britain,  would  give  them  an  opportunity,  in  the  course  of 
some  years,  to  throw  off  their  dependence  on  the  nation,  and 
declare  themselves  a  free  state,  if  not  curbed  in  time,  by 
being  made  entirely  subject  to  the  crown."  In  these  j^ears 
England  always  manifested  an  autocratic  spirit  towards  her 
colonies  ;  her  extreme  selfishness  demanded  a  stern  exercise 
of  arbitrary  power ;  and,  like  an  unnatural  parent,  she  treated 
her  subjects,  for  more  than  seventy  years,  as  aliens  and  rivals. 
It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  latter  in  return  refused  to 
submit  to  such  conduct,  or  at  least  showed  their  disapproval 
of  it  by  tokens  of  disrespect. 

When,  in  1719,  Great  Britain  placed  restrictions  upon  nearly 
every  branch  of  colonial  industry,  when  it  was  decreed  that 
"  none  in  the  plantations  should  manufacture  iron  wares  of 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   THE  PEOPLE.  170 

any  kind  whatsoever,"  that  hats  should  not  he  transported 
from  one  phmtation  to  another,  and  that  "  any  forge  going 
by  water"  should  cease  "  making  bar  or  rod  iron,"  then  the 
wrath  of  the  people  knew  no  bounds,  and  for  a  while  the 
government  was  in  a  constant  state  of  trepidation.  Every 
day  the  finances  of  the  province  became  more  embarrassing ; 
trade  began  to  languish,  and  money  grew  scarce.  All  those 
who  depended  on  salaries  for  support  were  reduced  to  great 
(vant  and  suffering  ;  even  the  interests  of  religion  and  of 
education  tended  to  decay  ;  manufacturing  ceased  altogether ; 
and  finally,  whilst  the  rich  were  growing  richer  and  the  poor 
were  growing  j^oorer,  the  province  appeared  to  many  to  be 
on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy  and  ruin. 

Governor  Sliute  was  not  equal  to  such  an  emergency,  nor 
was  his  conduct  such  as  was  calculated  to  conciliate  the  people. 
If  the  newspaper  press  complained  of  wrongs,  he  was  sure  to 
censure  its  outspoken  voice.  Between  himself  and  the  House 
an  endless  controversy  was  maintained.  At  the  opening  of 
the  court,  in  March,  1721,  the  governor  recommended  cer- 
tain measures  which  he  deemed  of  importance.  Among  these 
were  recommendations  that  something  ought  to  be  done  to 
prevent  the  depreciation  of  the  currency  ;  that  the  authors 
of  seditious  writings  ought  to  be  punished  ;  that  unlawful 
trade  with  the  French  at  Cape  Breton  ought  to  be  sup- 
pressed ;  and  that  his  own  salary  ought  to  be  increased.  The 
House  took  no  notice  of  any  of  these  proposals,  but  even 
made  matters  worse  by  choosing  a  new  speaker,  and  ac- 
quainting tlie  governor  and  council  that  "  John  Clark,  Esq., 
is  chosen  speaker  of  the  House,  and  is  now  sitting  in  the 
chair."  Whilst  the  governor,  in  the  height  of  rage,  was  pon- 
dering over  the  next  step  to  be  taken,  the  small-pox  became 
prevalent  in    Boston,   and    the    terrified  coui-t  adjourned  to 


180  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Cambridge,  where,  in  the  mouth  of  June,  they  adopted  a  new- 
system  of  tactics.  At  the  same  time  the  governor  advised 
the  ministers  in  England  that  "  the  assembly,  composed  of 
men  more  fit  for  the  affairs  of  farming  than  for  the  duty  of 
legislators,  showed  no  regard  to  the  royal  prerogative  or 
instructions,  but  endeavored  to  transgress  the  limits  of  the 
charter,  though  he  was  indeed  supported  by  the  council, 
who  themselves  wanted  assistance." 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  small-pox.  It  broke  out 
in  April,  and  spread  itself  with  frightful  rapidity.  Over 
five  thousand  persons  were  attacked  by  this  loathsome  dis- 
ease in  Boston  alone,  of  whom  eight  hundred  and  forty-four 
failed  to  recover.  At  the  instance  of  Cotton  Mather,  Dr. 
Boylston,  a  noted  physician  of  the  day,  was  persuaded  to 
try  the  experiment  of  inoculation  upon  his  own  children  and 
servants ;  but  the  majority  of  the  profession  strenuously 
opposed  its  practice,  because  they  were  either  "  not  suffi- 
ciently assured  of  its  safety  and  consequences,"  or  reckoned 
it  "a  sin  against  society  to  propagate  infection  by  this 
means."  Certain  pious  people  even  went  so  far  as  to  insinuate 
that,  if  any  of  the  patients  of  Dr.  Boylston  died,  he  "  should 
be  treated  as  a  murderer  ;  "  and  finally  the  House  prohibited 
inoculation  entirely.  Those  Avho  dared  to  favor  the  practice 
were  subjected  to  the  most  shameless  abuses  by  the  popu- 
lace ;  and  in  more  than  one  instance  they  were  threatened 
with  mob  vengeance.  In  the  end,  be  it  said,  its  defenders 
triumphed. 

During  these  discussions  the  Indians,  who  had  been  insti- 
gated by  the  French,  again  gave  cause  for  difficulties.  The 
chief  villain  in  this  scheme  was  Sebastian  Rasles,  a  Jesuit 
missionary,  who  had  falsely  accused  the  New  England  colo- 
nists  of   encroaching   on   territory  belonging  to  the  tribes. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   THE  PEOPLE.  181 

Led  oil  by  this  man,  the  Indians  began  once  more  to  commit 
depredations.  The  House  resolved  to  punish  the  offenders, 
and  ordered  tliat  a  hundred  and  tifty  men  should  be  sent  to 
Norridgewock,  a  lovely  village  on  the  Kennebec,  to  "  compel 
the  Indians  to  make  full  satisfaction  for  the  damages  they 
had  done."  At  the  same  time  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of 
Rasles  was  issued.  These  resolves  were  deemed  by  the 
governor  equivalent  to  a  declaration  of  war,  and  conse- 
quently an  invasion  of  the  prerogative.  They  were,  there- 
fore, rejected  by  the  council.  In  August,  1721,  two  hundred 
Indians,  marching  under  French  colors,  visited  Georgetown, 
a  small  island  town  below  Arrowsic,  and  left  a  threatening 
message  for  the  governor.  In  November,  an  English  party 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Thomas  Westbrooke  repaired 
to  Norridgewock  and  captured  the  papers,  but  not  the  person 
of  Rasles.  His  faithful  disciples  had  taken  care  to  "  secure 
him,  and  to  fly  with  him  into  the  woods."  The  young  Baron 
de  Castine,  a  half-breed,  who  was  both  a  war  chief  and  held 
a  French  commission,  was  also  seized,  conveyed  to  Boston, 
and  there  put  into  close  confinement.  This  proceeding  in- 
flamed the  Indians  more  than  ever  before,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  they  landed  at  Merry  Meeting  Bay,  now  Alton  Bay, 
and  took  several  families  prisoners.  The  burning  of  Bruns- 
wick soon  followed. 

In  August,  the  government  of  Massachusetts  branded  the 
Eastern  Indians  as  traitors  and  robbers,  and  declared  war 
against  them.  The  House  presumed  to  take  the  whole  man- 
agement of  the  affair  upon  themselves,  when  the  governor, 
having  informed  them  that  "  the  king,  his  master,  and  the 
royal  charter,  had  given  him  the  sole  command  and  direction 
of  the  militia,  and  all  the  forces  which  might  be  raised  on 
any  emergency,  and  that  he  should  not  suffer  himself  to  be 


182  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

under  any  direction  but  his  own,  and  those  officers  he  should 
think  fit  to  appoint,"  caused  tliem  no  little  annoyance.  The 
controversy  Avas  not  yet  ended,  when  the  magistrate  secretly 
left  the  country,  never  more  to  return. 

The  House  was  resolved  not  to  abandon  the  war  which 
it  had  so  unceremoniously  declared.  Each  day  added  to  the 
list  of  outrages  committed  by  the  savages.  Canseau  had 
been  surprised,  and  sixteen  vessels  belonging  to  Massachusetts 
had  been  taken.  Rasles  still  lurked  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Norridgewock.  In  despair  he  viewed  the  weakness  of  his 
defence,  and  the  departure  of  many  of  his  red  people  into 
Canada.  "  I  count  not  my  life  dear  unto  myself,"  said  he, 
"  so  I  may  finish  with  joy  the  ministry  which  I  have  re- 
ceived." The  expedition  to  Penobscot,  which  had  set  out 
under  public  auspices,  foresaw  that  the  safety  of  the  coast 
towns  could  never  be  secured  until  the  Indians  should  have 
been  driven  far  away.  Breathing  vengeance,  Westbrooke's 
party  made  an  atrocious  attack  on  Norridgewock,  on  the 
evening  of  the  24th  of  August,  1724.  Sc^  carefully  was  the 
advance  guarded  by  Harmon's  rangers  and  a  company  of 
Mohawks,  that  the  village  was  surrounded  ])efore  the  inhab- 
itants had  received  any  intimation  of  their  approach.  A 
shower  of  bullets  swept  through  the  streets ;  some  of  the 
Indians  escaped;  but  all  Avho  remained,  including  men, 
women,  and  children,  were  massacred.  After  they  had  pil- 
laged the  church  and  the  cabins,  and  set  fire  to  the  village, 
the  invaders  hastened  their  retreat. 

"  The  noise  and  tumult,"  says  Charlevoix,  "  gave  P^re 
Rasles  notice  of  the  danger  his  converts  were  in,  and  he 
fearlessly  showed  himself  to  the  enemy,  hoping  to  draw  all 
their  attention  to  himself,  and  to  secure  the  safety  of  his 
flock   at   the  peril  of  his  life.      He  was  not   disappointed. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   THE  PEOPLE.  1S3 

As  soon  as  lie  appeared,  the  English  set  up  a  great  shout, 
which  was  followed  b}-  a  shower  of  shot,  when  he  fell  dead 
near  to  the  cross  which  he  had  ereeted  in  the  midst  of  the 
village.  Seven  chiefs,  who  sheltei-ed  his  body  with  their 
own,  fell  around  him.  Thus  did  this  kind  shepherd  give 
his  life  for  his  sheep,  after  a  painful  mission  of  thii-ty-seven 
years."  As  soon  as  the  English  had  gone,  the  savages  re- 
turned to  secure  their  wounded  and  to  bur}^  their  dead. 
Rasles'  body  was  found  horribly  mangled,  his  skull  broken, 
sculped,  and  his  mouth  and  eyes  fdled  with  dirt.  "  After 
his  converts  had  raised  up  and  oftentimes  kissed  the  pre- 
cious remains,  so  tenderly  and  so  justly  beloved  by  them, 
they  buried  him  in  the  same  place  where  he  had,  the  even- 
ing before,  celebrated  the  sacred  mysteries,  namely,  the  spot 
where  the  altar  stood  before  the  church  was  burnt."  ^  Thus 
perished  Sebastian  Rasles,  the  "  most  noted  of  the  Catholic 
missionaries  in  New  England."  He  was  sixtj-scven  years 
of  age,  and  had  been  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  in  America 
just  thirty-seven  years. 

Previous  to  this  event,  the  government  of  Massachusetts, 
in  order  to  stimulate  the  activity  of  private  parties,  had 
offered  a  reward  of  fifteen  pounds,  and  afterwards  of  a  hun- 
dred, for  every  Indian  scalp.  In  the  winter  of  1724-5,  John 
Lovewell  raised  a  company  of  volunteers,  and  made  one  or 
two  successful  expeditions ;  in  a  third  sallj^  to  a  place  called 
Fryeburg,  he  was  surprised  and  slain.  In  December,  a  treaty 
of  peace  was  agreed  upon  in  Boston  ;  and  in  the  following 
year,  172G,  the  lieutenant-governor  of  Massachusetts,  the 
lieutenant-governor  of  New  Hampshire,  and  General  Mas- 
carene  of  Nova  Scotia,  ratified  the  treaty  at  Falmouth. 
Thus  ended  Indian  difficulties  which  had  lasted  nearly  forty 

'  Cliarlcvoix. 


184  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

3'ears ;  Avitli  the  overthrow  of  the  missions,  the  ruin  of 
French  influence  Avas  coniiileted.  "  Influence  Ly  commerce 
took  the  phice  of  influence  by  rehgion,  and  EngHsh  trad- 
ing-houses supplanted  French  missions.  The  eastern  boun- 
dary of  New  England  was  settled."  ^ 

From  these  scenes,  we  must  now  turn  to  the  political 
movements  in  Massachusetts.  After  the  sudden  departure 
of  Shute,  William  Dummer,  the  lieutenant-governor,  re- 
mained at  the  head  of  affairs.  In  the  beginning  he  gave 
the  court  to  understand  that  he  was  willing  to  "  concur  with 
them  in  any  measure  for  his  Majest^-'s  service  and  the  good 
of  the  province."  "  Although  the  unerring  Providence  of 
God  "  —  Samuel  Sewall,  the  stern  advocate  of  the  people's 
rights,  arose  to  reply  —  "  has  brought  your  honor  to  the 
chair  of  government  in  a  cloudy  and  tempestuous  season, 
yet  you  have  this  for  your  encouragement,  that  the  people 
you  have  to  do  with  are  part  of  the  Israel  of  God,  and  you 
may  expect  to  have  of  the  prudence  and  patience  of  Moses 
communicated  to  3'ou  for  your  conduct.  It  is  evident  that 
our  Almighty  Saviour  counselled  the  first  planters  to  remove 
hither  and  settle  here ;  and  they  dutifully  followed  his 
advice,  and  therefore  he  will  never  leave  nor  forsake  them 
nor  theirs  ;  so  that  your  honor  must  needs  be  happy  in  sin- 
cerely seeking  their  happiness  and  welfare,  which  your  birth 
and  education  will  incline  you  to  do.  Dlfficilia  quce  j^ulehra. 
I  promise  mA-self  that  they  who  sit  at  this  board  will  yield 
their  faithful  advice  to  your  honor,  according  to  the  duty  of 
their  place."  ^ 

As  might  have  been  expected,  Governor  Shute  laid  his 
grievances  before  the  king,  and  demanded  an  investigation 
of  the  same.    After  his  departure,  the  House  sent  two  memo- 

'  Bancroft,  iii.  338.  *  Boston  News  Letter,  No.  989. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  185 

rials  to  Eiiglaiul,  in  justification  of  their  Lite  proceedings. 
But  the  king  and  his  council,  all  unfavorable  to  the  province, 
decided  that  they  had  acted  wholly  in  the  wrong.  The 
death  of  George  I.  was  followed  by  a  change  in  the  ministry  ; 
and  Governor  Shute,  who  was  just  on  the  point  of  sailing  for 
America,  was  deprived,  of  his  commission,  and  the  same  was 
bestowed  on  William  Burnet,  formerly  governor  of  New  York, 
and  a  son  of  Bishop  Burnet,  the  historian  of  the  Reformation. 
The  new  governor  arrived  in  Boston  in  July,  1728,  pom- 
pously welcomed  both  by  the  press  and  the  pulpit.  Mather 
Byles,  the  poet  of  the  province,  thus  celebrated  the  event :  — 

"Welcome,  great  man,  to  our  desiring  eyes; 
Thou  earth,  proclaim  it !  and  resound,  ye  skies ! 
Voice  answering  voice,  in  joyful  consort  meet; 
The  hills  all  echo,  and  the  rocks  repeat. 
And  thou,  O  Boston,  mistress  of  the  towns, 
"Whom  the  pleased  Bay  with  am'rous  arms  surrounds, 
Let  thy  warm  transports  blaze  in  numerous  fires, 
And  beaming  glories  glitter  on  tliy  spires; 
Let  rockets  streaming  up  the  ether  glare. 
And  flaming  serpents  hiss  along  the  air."  ' 

Governor  Burnet  may  have  been  heartily  gratified  by  the 
vain  show  of  the  populace  ;  but  certain  it  is,  he  was  in  no  wise 
bewildered  by  such  flattering  attention.  In  his  opening  ad- 
dress to  the  court  he  made  known  his  Majesty's  intentions, 
and  swore  to  adhere  to  them.  Whether  this  was  a  challenge 
or  not,  the  House  chose  to  consider  it  as  such,  but  were  not 
intimidated.  At  the  session  in  July  the  House  granted  him 
seventeen  hundred  pounds  towards  his  support  and  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  his  journey.  He  refused  to  accept  this 
amount,  and  insisted  on  an  established  salary.  Hitherto  it 
had  been  the  custom  to  make  such  grants  as  the  good  offices 
of   the   governor   might  seem  to   merit  ;    and   never   had  a 

'  Drake's  Hist,  of  Boston,  581. 

24 


186  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

regular  salary  been  fixed.  Bj'-  clinging  to  this  policy,  the 
House  believed  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  governor 
ever  to  become  independent  of  the  legislature,  or  control 
their  proceedings  by  his  own  pleasure.  Burnet  demanded 
a  change  without  further  debate  ;  the  patriots  scorned  "  to 
betray  the  great  trust  reposed  in  them  by  their  principals." 
The  affair  assumed  a  serious  turn.  "  If  j^ou  refuse  to 
accede,"  said  the  governor,  "  the  legislature  of  Great  Britain 
may  take  into  consideration  the  support  of  the  government, 
and  perhaps  something  else  besides,"  —  meaning  the  charter. 
Such  a  menace  as  this  only  added  fuel  to  the  flame.  The 
House,  however,  still  remained  firm  ;  the  towns  unanimously 
supported  them,  and  Boston  especially  gave  token  of  its 
aversion  to  the  proposals  of  the  king  in  strong  terms.  An 
attempt  was  made  in  September  to  conciliate  the  governor 
by  granting  him  one  thousand  pounds  sterling  for  half  a 
year's  management  of  affairs ;  but  he  refused  to  accept  such 
a  sum. 

On  the  24th  of  October  the  governor  adjourned  the  court 
to  Salem  ;  the  board  of  trade  cfensured  the  stubbornness  of 
the  House  ;  and  the  agents  of  ]\Iassachusetts  advised  con- 
cession. "It  is  better,"  responded  the  representatives,  "that 
the  liberties  of  the  people  should  be  taken  from  them,  than 
given  up  by  themselves."  Wearied  with  the  contest,  the 
House  resolved  to  petition  the  king  for  redress.  A  subscrip- 
tion was  raised,  and  Mr.  Francis  Wilkes,  a  New  England 
merchant  then  resident  in  England,  and  Mr.  Jonathan 
Belcher,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Council,  were  selected 
as  agents.  The  appeal  was  presented  to  his  Majesty,  but 
failed  of  recognition,  and  it  began  to  appear  as  if  the  affair 
would  finally  be  brought  before  Parliament.  In  the  midst 
of  the  controversy  the   governor  died ;   and  in  September, 


THE   SPIRIT  OF   THE  PEOPLE.  187 

1720,  the  administration  again  passed  into  the  hands  of  Wil- 
liam Dmnnier. 

Mr.  Jonathan  Belcher,  a  young  man  of  pleasing  address, 
was  still  in  England  when  the  tidings  of  Burnet's  death 
arrived.  Fired  with  ambition,  and  supported  by  Shute  and 
other  of  his  friends,  he  applied  for  the  governorship,  and 
obtained  it.  One  reason  why  he  was  thus  chosen  was,  that 
no  one  else  possessing  the  ability  could  be  found  in  the  king- 
dom willing  to  accept  the  appointment ;  and,  furthermore,  it 
was  thought  that  he,  being  popular  among  his  own  country- 
men, would  be  the  better  able  to  arrange  the  unsettled  state 
of  affairs.  Before  his  return  to  America,  ]\Ir.  Dummer  saw 
fit  to  advise  the  statesmen  of  New  England.  "  I  am  not 
afraid,"  he  Avrote,  in  August,  "  to  add  my  hearty  wishes 
that  the  assembly  would,  of  choice  and  by  their  own  consent, 
comply  with  his  jNIajesty's  instructions,  and  fix  the  governor's 
salary  for  the  time  of  his  government,  or  for  a  term  of  years. 
I  am  of  opinion  that  they  cannot  do  a  wiser  or  better  thing 
in  their  present  circumstances.  As  they  have  agreed  on  the 
question,  and  have  determined  to  give  it  annually,  it's  a 
pity  they  won't  go  a  step  farther,  and  make  it  a  resolve  of 
the  House,  by  wdiich  they  will  at  once  restore  themselves  to 
his  Majesty's  favor,  and  put  an  end  to  the  confusions  and 
distractions  among  themselves.  New  England  justly  boasts 
of  her  loyalty  ;  but  methinks  it  would  not  be  amiss  if  to  that 
we  added  a  little  complaisance  to  the  crown,  if  such  an  ex- 
pression may  be  allowed.  I  am  afraid,  if  we  don't  do  it 
willingly,  we  shall  be  compelled  to  do  it  unwillinglj'.  The 
ministers  are  determined  to  lay  it  before  Parliament,  and  if 
they  bring  in  the  bill,  who  will  undertake  to  get  it  thrown 
out?"i 

'  Letter  in  Lib.  M.  H.  Soc. 


188  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Governor  Belcher  reached  Boston  on  his  return  from  Eng- 
land about  the  middle  of  August,  and  in  the  following 
month  he  communicated  his  instructions  to  the  assembly. 
"  In  case  of  the  refusal  of  the  House  to  comply  with  these 
instructions,"  he  said,  "his  Majesty  will  find  himself  under 
a  necessity  of  laying  the  undutiful  behavior  of  the  province 
before  the  legislature  of  Great  Britain,  not  only  in  this  single 
instance,  but  in  many  others  of  the  same  nature  and  ten- 
dency, whereby  it  manifestly  appears  that  this  assembly,  for 
some  years  last  past,  has  attempted  by  unwarrantable  practices 
to  weaken,  if  not  to  cast  off  the  obedience  they  owe  to  the 
crown,  and  the  dependence  which  all  colonies  ought  to  have 
on  their  mother  country."  ^  As  before,  the  House  maintained 
its  position  on  the  question  of  the  governor's  salary  ;  and  at 
last  Belcher  obtained  leave  of  the  crown  to  accept  the  annual 
grants,  and  thus  put  an  end  to  the  controversy.  The  Gor- 
dian  knot  of  provincial  freedom  remained  uncut,  and  the 
strong  will  of  Massachusetts  had  achieved  a  victory  which 
largely  influenced  its  future  politics. 

In  1739  England  declared  war  with  Spain.  Six  years 
before,  the  latter  had  concluded  a  family  compact  with 
France  for  the  ruin  of  the  maritime  supremacy  of  England, 
and  since  that  time  she  had  labored  hard  to  preserve  her 
own  monopoly  on  the  high  seas,  to  put  down  the  vast  sys- 
tem of  smuggling  which  rendered  it  valueless,  and  to  restrict 
English  commerce  to  the  negro  slave-trade,  and  the  single 
ship  stipulated  by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht.  The  English  peo- 
ple were  mad  for  war  ;  Walpole,  the  minister,  stood  alone 
for  peace.  When  at  length  war  was  declared,  Walpole  bowed 
to  the  popular  will.  "They  may  ring  their  bells  now,"  said 
he,  as  peals  and   bonfires  welcomed  his  defeat,  "  but  they 

'  Hutchinson,  ii.  333. 


THE  SrTRIT  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  189 

will  soon  be  wringing  their  hands."  This  struggle,  which 
hegan  in  an  ill  hour  for  England,  in  a  happy  one  for  America, 
exerted  great  influenee  upon  the  destinies  of  New  England. 
Admiral  Vernon,  wdth  an  English  fleet,  had  already  bom- 
barded and  taken  PortobcUo ;  and  Governor  Belcher  had 
received  orders  to  encourage  the  enlistment  of  troops  in 
Massachusetts  to  aid  in  the  expedition  against  Cuba.  In 
the  spring  of  1740,  INIassachusetts  sent  forth  five  hundred 
of  her  young  men  ;  the  majority  of  them  either  fell  victims 
to  the  insalubrity  of  the  climate,  or  came  back  with  ruined 
constitutions.  Only  a  very  few  perished  in  battle.  By  this 
unreasonable  aggression,  the  province  of  Massachusetts  was 
still  more  impoverished,  and  the  remainder  of  Governor 
Belcher's  administration  was  marked  by  an  endless  series  of 
pecuniary  difficulties. 

About  this  time  the  dispute  which  had  long  been  waged, 
relative  to  the  boundary  lines  between  jNIassachusetts  and 
New  Hampshire,  and  Plymouth  and  Rhode  Island,  was 
finally  adjusted.  The  governor  made  a  state  entry  into 
Hampton  Falls  in  August,  1737,  accompanied  by  the  legisla- 
ture, and  by  five  troops  of  horse.  In  the  George  Tavern 
long  conferences  about  the  provincial  boundaries  were  held 
with  the  assembly  of  New  Hampshire.  The  latter  demanded 
the  territory  which  now  composes  her  two  lower  tiers  of 
towns,  which  had  been  settled  by  Massachusetts  men  under 
^Massachusetts  charters.  As  the  parties  failed  to  agree,  an 
appeal  was  transmitted  to  the  king,  setting  forth  how  "  the 
vast,  opulent,  and  overgrown  province  of  Massachusetts  was 
devouring  the  poor,  little,  loyal,  distressed  province  of  New 
Hampshire."  The  heart  of  the  king  was  touched  ;  where- 
upon he  commanded  Massachusetts  to  surrender  to  New 
Hampshire  a  tract  of  land  comprising    twenty-eight   towns, 


190  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  extending  from  the  Connecticut  River  to  the  sea.  At 
the  same  time  another  piece  of  country  to  the  south  was 
assigned  to  Rhode  Island.  The  governor's  pompous  visit  to 
the  Falls  gave  origin  to  the  following  pasquinade :  — 

"  Dear  Paddy,  j'ou  ne'er  did  behold  such  a  sight 
As  yesterday  morning  was  seen  before  night. 
You  in  all  j'our  born  days  saw,  nor  I  didn't  neither, 
So  many  fine  horses  and  men  ride  together. 
At  the  head  the  lower  house  trotted  two  in  a  row, 
Then  all  the  higher  house  pranced  after  the  low ; 
Then  the  governor's  coach  galloped  on  like  the  '.vind. 
And  the  last  that  came  foremost  were  troopers  behind; 
But  I  fear  it  means  no  good  to  your  neck  nor  mine, 
Por  they  say  'tis  to  fix  a  right  place  for  the  line." 

By  his  steady  opposition  to  the  current  schemes  of  the 
province,  Governor  Belcher  gradually  became  unpopular. 
Even  his  friends  in  England  were  prejudiced  against  him, 
and  united  with  his  enemies  at  home  in  seeking  for  his 
removal.  At  length  his  administration  came  to  an  end  in 
1741  ;  his  integrity,  which  had  been  impeached,  was  vindi- 
cated in  England,  and  six  years  later  he  received  an  appoint- 
ment as  governor  of  New  Jersey.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
elegant  gentlemen  of  his  time  in  manners  and  appearance,  a 
native  of  New  England,  one  of  Harvard  College's  best 
friends,  and  a  great  favorite  with  all  with  whom  he  asso- 
ciated. Taken  all  in  all,  he  was  as  amiable,  generous,  and 
noble-hearted  a  man  as  any  of  whom  the  province  could 
boast ;  perhaps,  therefore,  it  was  fortunate  for  him  and  for 
his  country  that  his  administration  ended  before  he  had 
done  anything  to  merit  public  rebuke.  After  his  decease, 
which  took  place  in  New  Jersey  in  1757,  his  remains  were 
brought  home  to  Massachusetts  and  deposited  in  the  old 
churchyard  in  Cambridge.  The  tomb  —  since  known  as  the 
Dana  tomb  —  may  still  be  seen  near  the  gateway. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE   PEOPLE.  191 

The  immediate  successor  of  Governor  Belcher  was  William 
Shirley,  a  native  of  Sussex,  in  England,  and  a  rising  lawyer 
bv  profession.  Previous  to  his  appointment  he  had  resided 
eight  years  in  New  England,  and  was  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners chosen  to  adjust  the  boundary  line  between  Massa- 
chusetts and  Rhode  Island.  He  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  office  in  the  summer  of  1741,  and  by  prudent  manage- 
ment he  soon  won  the  full  confidence  of  the  people.  In 
the  early  part  of  his  administration  a  religious  movement, 
known  as  the  "  Great  Awakening,"  agitated  America.  In 
opposition  to  the  rigorous  creed  of  Calvin,  —  the  creed  of 
the  Puritan  founders  of  Massachusetts,  —  new  forms  of  faith 
were  springing  up.  In  1699  wns  founded  the  Brattle  Street 
Church  in  Boston,  which  long  continued  to  advocate  views 
essentially  different  from  those  laid  down  in  the  Puritan 
creed.  Not  only  churches,  but  eminent  individuals  w^ero 
"hereticals  "  on  some  points,  and  even  Dunster  and  Chauncy, 
presidents  of  Harvard  College,  because  they  cherished  other 
than  the  prevailing  views  on  the  subject  of  baptism,  were 
classed  with  the  "  obnoxious "  set.  In  rapid  succession, 
societies  of  Antinomians,  Anabaptists,  Gortonists,  and  Quak- 
ers were  gathered ;  advocates  of  Episcopacy  followed  ;  and 
"  when  Arminian  and  Socinian  doctrines  wxre  advanced,  it 
seemed  to  those  who  had  been  brought  up  in  the  '  straitest 
sect '  of  former  days  as  if  the  flood-gates  of  degeneracy 
were  opened  upon  the  world,  and  as  if  New  England  was  to 
be  buried  beneath  the  waves  of  infidelity  and  apostasy." 
So  many  changes  in  religion  could  not  fail  to  give  rise  to  a 
controversy. 

Jonathan  Edwards,  born  in  Connecticut  in  1703,  and  for 
many  years  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  had  already,  by  his 
marvellous  sermons,  unevadable  in  their  directness,  incon- 


192        •  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

trovertiLle  in  their  logic,  and  terrific  in  their  earnestness, 
induced  a  wide-spread  enthusiasm.  He,  the  greatest  of 
American  metaphysicians,  wielding  the  magnetic  power  of 
Chrysostom,  had  given  form  to  the  faith  of  the  past,  and 
reduced  fluctuating  opinions  to  a  symmetrical  system.  Upon 
the  advent  of  George  Whitefield,  above  all  others  the 
preacher  of  the  revival,  the  "  trumpeter "  of  the  Great 
Awakening,  the  struggle  which  had  been  convulsing  the 
community  was  brought  to  a  crisis.  His  preaching,  although 
theatrical,  extravagant,  and  oftentimes  commonplace,  w^as 
such  as  had  never  been  heard  before  ;  its  intense  reality, 
its  earnestness  of  belief,  its  deep,  tremulous  sympathy  with 
the  sin  and  sorrow  of  mankind,  hushed  all  criticism.  It  was 
no  common  enthusiast  who  could  wring  gold  from  the  close- 
fisted  Franklin,  and  admiration  from  the  fastidious  Horace 
Walpole,  or  who  could  look  down  from  the  top  of  a  green 
knoll  at  Kingswood  on  twenty  thousand  colliers,  grimy  from 
the  Bristol  coal-pits,  and  see,  as  he  preached,  the  tears, 
"  making  white  channels  down  their  blackened  cheeks." 
As  in  England,  so  in  America,  his  nervous  eloquence  stirred 
a  passionate  hatred  in  his  opponents.  The  ministers  of  the 
province  were  divided  in  their  opinions,  and  while  some 
welcomed  him  as  an  ally,  others  denounced  him  as  an  "  itin- 
erant scourge."  His  adherents  became  known  as  the  "  new 
lights;  "  his  opponents  as  the  "  old  lights,"  and  between  the 
two  lay  the  party  of  reform,  with  Chauncy  as  its  leader. 

The  conflict  continued.  The  press  helped  to  foment  the 
strife,  and  hundreds  of  ponderous  works  were  put  forth  by 
the  ministers.  Indeed,  nearly  every  clergyman  in  the  land 
felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  take  a  position  either  on  one  side 
or  the  other,  and  to  deal  blows  either  for  good  or  for  evil 
in   the   controversy.      New  England   has   never  •  known   so 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  I93 

thorough  an  "  awakening  ; "  and  if  it  produced  no  lasting 
result,  it  certainly  secured  a  free  discussion,  and  hastened 
the  progress  of  light  and  truth. 

In  1744,  France  declared  war  with  England.  Before  the 
tidings  had  reached  America,  Duvivier  had  fitted  out  an 
armament  at  Louisburg,  in  Cape  Breton,  surprised  the  little 
English  garrison  at  Canseau,  destroyed  the  fort  and  the 
fishery,  and  taken  eighty  prisoners.  Other  places  were  like- 
wise threatened.  Louisburg  was  at  this  time  the  stronghold 
of  the  French  in  the  east,  and  the  people  of  New  England 
looked  with  awe  upon  its  sombre  walls,  whose  towers  rose 
like  giants  above  the  northern  seas.  Its  harbor  was  guarded 
by  a  heavy  battery  on  Goat  Island,  and  b}"-  the  Grand  Bat- 
tery stationed  near  the  entrance.  A  deep  moat  and  pro- 
jecting bastions  were  on  the  landward  side,  and  opposite 
was  the  great  careening  dock.  An  unbroken  line  of  defences 
also  surrounded  the  town.  Late  in  the  summer  the  prisoners 
taken  at  Canseau  were  sent  to  Boston  on  parole  ;  and  from 
them  accurate  accounts  were  obtained  relative  to  the  condi- 
tion of  the  Louisburg  fortress. 

Governor  Shirley  at  once  resolved  on  an  enterprise  for  its 
reduction.  IMessengers  were  despatched  to  England  to  solicit 
ships  of  war  for  the  protection  of  the  east ;  Commodore  War- 
ren was  invited  to  lend  his  assistance  ;  and  the  details  of  the 
proposed  plan  were  fully  sanctioned  by  the  legislature.  The 
whole  charge  of  the  expedition  devolved  upon  New  England. 
Massachusetts  furnished  three  thousand  two  hundred  and 
fifty  troops ;  New  Hampshire,  three  hundred ;  and  Connec- 
ticut five  hundred.  Colonel  William  Pepperell,  of  Kittery 
Point,  Elaine,  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  this  force, 
to  whom  also  George  Whitefield  gave  the  motto,  A7Z  des- 
perandum^  Christo  duce^  —  "  Nothing  is  to  be  despaired  of, 
25 


194  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

with  Christ  for  the  leader,"  —  thus  making  the  enterprise  a 
sort  of  Puritan  crusade.  "  The  naval  force,  besides  trans- 
ports, consisted  of  three  frigates  of  twenty  guns  each,  a 
'  snow '  of  sixteen  guns,  a  brigantine  of  twelve  guns,  and 
five  sloops  mounting  from  eight  to  twelve  carriage-guns, 
provided  at  the  expense  of  Massachusetts  ;  the  armed  sloops 
of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  each  of  sixteen  guns,  and 
a  small  vessel  from  New  Hampshire.  The  military  munitions 
consisted  of  eight  cannon  carrying  twenty-two  pound  balls, 
twelve  carrying  nine-pound  balls,  two  twelve-inch  mortars, 
and  two  of  less  diameter,  taken  from  the  castle,  and  ten 
eighteen-pound  cannon  borrowed  from  New  York."  ^ 

The  troops  arrived  at  Canseau  in  April,  1745,  and  were 
joined  by  Commodore  Warren's  West  India  fleet.  Every- 
thing in  Canseau  was  in  a  quiet  state  ;  and  while  the  French 
still  persisted  in  treating  the  invasion  as  a  mere  farce,  the 
English  were  equally  sure  of  the  success  of  the  undertaking. 
"  Our  success,"  wrote  Shirley,  "  will  depand  on  the  execu- 
tion of  the  first  night  after  the  arrival  of  our  forces.  The 
fleet  must  make  Chapeau-Rouge  by  nine  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, when  they  cannot  be  easily  seen,  and  from  thence  push 
into  the  bay,  that  all  the  men  may  be  landed  before  mid- 
night. The  troops,  divided  into  four  companies,  are  to  scale 
the  walls  at  different  points,  and  to  attack  the  Grand  Bat- 
tery. The  formation  of  these  companies  will  take  up  at 
least  two  hours'  time,  and  the  march  another  two  hours  ;  so 
that  it  will  be  four  in  the  morning  before  the  attack  can  be 
commenced.  This  will  be  a  late  hour,  so  that  the  fleet 
must  arrive  punctually,  or  all  may  fail."  ^  If  success  de- 
pended on  such  conditions,  how  dubious  was  the  prospect! 
But  Fortune  sometimes  smiles  even  upon  novices  in  war. 

'  Barry,  iii.  141.        *  Sliirley  to  Wentwortli,  in  Belknap's  N.  H.,  ii.  209. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   THE  PEOPLE.  195 

On  the  1st  of  May  a  detachment  of  four  Imndred  men, 
commanded  by  Colonel  William  Vaughan,  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, landed  and  marched  to  the  north-east  part  of  the  har- 
bor, setting  fire  to  the  large  naval  houses  on  the  way.  As 
the  huge  black  clouds  of  smoke  rolled  above  the  Grand  Bat- 
tery, the  garrison,  struck  M'ith  a  panic,  spiked  their  guns  and 
fled  in  the  darkness  of  night.  Early  in  the  morning  Colonel 
Vaughan  took  possession  of  the  battery,  and  sent  for  re-en- 
forcements. Shortly  afterwards  Colonel  Bradstreet,  with 
fresh  troops,  arrived.  In  vain  did  the  French  seek  to  expel 
the  invaders.  At  sundown  six  companies  were  quartered  in 
tlie  battery,  and  throughout  the  whole  night  Major  Seth 
Pomeroy,  of  Northampton,  a  gunsmith  by  trade,  and  his 
fellow  smiths,  were  employed  to  drill  the  cannon  which  the 
enemy  had  spiked.  It  was  no  easy  task  ;  and  while  engaged 
in  it,  Pomeroy  became  convinced  of  the  stupendous  magnitude 
of  the  enterprise  in  hand.  "  Louisburg,"  he  wrote  home  to 
his  wife,  "  is  an  exceedingly  strong  place,  and  seems  impreg- 
nable. It  looks  as  if  our  campaign  would  last  long  ;  but  I 
am  willing  to  stay  till  God's  time  comes  to  deliver  the  city 
into  our  hands."  From  the  2d  to  the  middle  of  May 
preparations  for  the  siege  were  going  on.  In  the  mean  time 
councils  of  war  were  held ;  and  a  summons  to  surrender  was 
sent  to  Duchambon,  tlie  commandant  at  Louisburg.  Affairs, 
however,  "  proceeded  in  a  random  manner.  The  men  knew 
little  of  strict  discipline  ;  they  had  no  fixed  encampment ; 
destitute  of  tents  to  keep  off  the  fogs  and  dews,  their  lodg- 
ings were  turf  and  brush  houses,  their  bed  was  the  earth  — 
dangerous  resting-places  for  those  of  the  people  unacquainted 
with  lying  in  the  woods.  Yet  the  weather  was  fair,  and  the 
atmosphere,  usually  thick  with  palpable  fogs,  was,  during  the 
whole  siege,  singularly  dry."  ^ 

'  Bancroft,  iii.  4G1. 


196  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

On  the  19th,  the  Vigilant,  a  French  ship  of  sixty-four 
guns,  carrying  a  supply  of  military  goods  from  Brest  to 
Louisburg,  encountered  the  Mermaid,  belonging  to  Commo- 
dore Warren's  fleet.  The  latter,  standing  off  in  the  fog, 
made  sail  and  fled  towards  the  squadron,  pursued  by  the 
Vigilant.  Fire  opened  on  every  side,  but  the  French  cap- 
tain, the  Marquis  de  Maisonforte,  refused  to  surrender.  The 
battle  was  terrific,  and  lasted  for  seven  hours  ;  the  Vigilant 
lost  all  of  her  rigging,  her  rudder  was  broken,  and  great 
numbers  of  her  crew  were  either  wounded  or  slain.  On 
the  2-J:th,  Commodore  Warren  proposed  that  "  sixteen  hun- 
dred men  should  be  embarked,  and  that  all  his  Majesty's 
ships,  and  the  provincial  cruisers  except  two,  with  the  cap- 
tured ship  Vigilant  and  the  schooners  and  transports,  should 
enter  the  harbor  and  attack  the  town  and  batteries  with  the 
utmost  vigor,  wliile  the  marines,  under  Captain  James 
McDonald,  were  to  be  landed,  and,  sustained  by  the  rest  of 
the  troops,  were  to  make  an  attack  on  shore."  This  plan, 
however,  was  not  approved  by  the  general  of  the  land 
forces,  who  had  other  methods  of  his  own  to  be  pursued. 
Fascine  batteries  were  erected  at  stated  distances  from  the 
West  Gate,  and  a  breaching  battery  was  reared  at  night 
within  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  walls.  Amid  the 
roar  of  a  continual  bombardment,  the  garrison  made  sorties 
by  land  and  sea ;  fifteen  hundred  of  the  Americans  were 
either  lying  sick  or  wounded,  six  hundred  were  kept  out 
in  the  country  watching  for  Indians,  and  two  hundred  had 
perished  in  an  attempt  to  seize  the  Island  Battery. 

Early  in  June  a  battery,  containing  three  embrasures  facing 
the  Island  Batter}'-  and  six  facing  the  sea,  was  completed  near 
the  light-house ;  and  Pepperell  consented  that  six  hundred 
men  should  be  sent  on  board  the  Vigilant,  and  five  hundred 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  197 

on  board  the  other  ships.  A  general  attack  by  hind  and  sea 
was  then  concerted,  —  Warren  Avas  to  enter  the  harbor  with 
his  squadron,  and  Pepperell  was  to  open  all  his  batteries 
upon  the  town ;  but  before  such  a  plan  could  be  put  into 
execution,  the  desponding  Duchambon,  satisfied  that  it  was 
useless  to  contend  longer,  sent  out  a  Hag  of  truce,  and 
offered  to  surrender  the  fortress,  *'  on  condition  that  his 
troops,  some  sixteen  hundred  in  number,  should  be  permitted 
to  retain  their  arras  and  colors."  The  proposition  was  ac- 
cepted ;  and  thus,  on  the  IGtli  of  June,  1745,  Louisburg, 
styled  the  "  Dunkirk  of  America,"  was  formally  surrendered 
to  the  Americans.  As,  on  the  following  day,  the  troops 
entered  the  fortress  and  beheld  with  awe  its  massive  strength, 
"  Surely,"  said  they,  *'  God  has  gone  out  of  the  way  of  his 
common  providence,  in  a  remarkable  and  almost  miraculous 
manner,  to  incline  the  hearts  of  the  French  to  give  up  and 
deliver  this  strong  city  into  our  hands."  The  capture  of 
Louisburg  "  filled  Europe  with  astonishment  and  America 
with  joy."  The  batteries  of  London  Tower  fired  salutes  ; 
and,  in  recognition  of  their  services,  King  George  IL  made 
Pepperell  a  baronet,  and  Warren  a  rear-admiral.  "  That  a 
colony  like  ]\Iassachusetts,  at  that  time  far  from  being  rich 
or  populous,  should  display  such  remarkable  militar}^  spirit 
and  enterprise,  aided  only  by  the  smaller  province  of  New 
Hampshire  ;  that  they  should  equip  both  land  and  sea  forces 
to  attack  a  redoubtable  fortress,  called  by  British  officers 
impregnable,  and  on  which  the  French  crown  had  expended 
immense  sums  ;  that  four  thousand  rustic  militia,  whose 
officers  were  as  inexperienced  in  war  as  their  men,  although 
supported  by  naval  forces,  should  conquer  the  regular  troops 
of  the  greatest  military  power  of  the  age,  and  wrest  from 
their  hands  a  place  of  unusual  strength,  —  all  aj^pcar  little 


198  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

short  of  a  miracle."  ^  "  The  capture  of  Louisburg,"  wrote 
Smollet,  "  was  the  foremost  achievement  of  the  war  of 
1745."  And  one  of  the  actors  in  the  scene  declared  that 
"in  all  the  histories  he  had  read,  he  never  met  with  an  in- 
stance of  so  bold  and  presumptuous  an  attempt." 

Flattered  by  their  brilliant  success,  the  Americans  now 
conceived  the  project  of  the  conquest  of  Canada.  The  gov- 
ernors of  all  the  colonies  as  far  south  as  Virginia  were 
ordered  by  the  Duke  of  New  Castle,  then  secretary  of  state, 
to  raise  companies  of  men  and  to  await  future  orders.  Eng- 
land promised  to  send  over  eight  battalions,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  General  St.  Clair,  with  a  squadron 
commanded  by  Rear  Admiral  Warren.  These  and  the  New 
England  forces  were  to  rendezvous  at  Louisburg,  and  from 
thence  to  proceed  to  Quebec.  The  southern  troops  were  to 
assemble  at  Albany,  and  from  thence  to  march  to  Montreal. 

Meanwhile  the  French,  inflamed  by  their  recent  disaster, 
were  planning  the  recovery  of  Louisburg  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  Boston.  In  1746  an  Armada,  a  huge  fleet  consisting 
of  seventy  sail,  and  commanded  by  the  Duke  d'Anville,  left 
the  harbor  of  Brest,  to  "  conquer  the  British  North  Ameri- 
can coast  from  Virginia  to  Newfoundland."  Unparalleled 
and  disastrous  storms  proved  more  terrible  than  the  enemy's 
fire  ;  and  when,  in  September,  D'Anville  reached  Halifax,  he 
could  boast  of  only  two  ships  of  the  line  and  a  few  transports. 
Suddenly  he  was  removed  by  death.  A  few  days  later  the 
vice-admiral  committed  suicide,  the  men  perished  of  disease 
by  hundreds,  and  what  remained  of  the  fleet  hastily  retired 
from  American  waters.  After  this  disastrous  failure.  La 
Jonquiere,  with  sixteen  men-of-war  and  twenty-eight  other 

'  Murdook,  Hist,  of  Nova  Scotia.  The  siege  is  minutely  described  in 
Brown's  Hist,  of  Cape  Breton,  168-248. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   THE  PEOPLE.  199 

vessels,  was  sent  from  France  on  the  same  mission.  Off 
Cape  Finisterre  he  was  attacked  by  the  fleets  of  Anson  and 
Warren,  and  was  signally  defeated.  From  this  time  onward 
the  American  colonies  snffered  only  on  the  frontier.  I'he 
expedition  against  Quebec  was  deferred ;  Fort  Massachu- 
setts, in  Williamstown,  —  the  post  nearest  to  Crown  Point,  — 
long  known  "  as  the  Thermopylae  of  America,"  was  attacked 
by  de  Vaudreuil,  and  surrendered  only  when  every  grain  of 
powder  was  exhausted.  In  1748  the  peace  of  Aix-la-Cha- 
pelle  put  an  end  to  the  war.  Those  who  took  no  part  in 
framing  this  treaty  suffered  the  most.  The  peace  was,  in 
fact,  a  mere  truce,  forced  on  the  contending  powers  by  sheer 
exhaustion,  and  both  parties  were  agreed  simply  to  restore 
their  conquests.  On  these  terms  Louisburg  and  Cape  Bre- 
ton were  restored  to  France,  and  thus,  "  after  four  years  of 
warfare  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  after  all  the  w^aste  of  bleed 
and  treasure,  the  war  ended  just  where  it  began." 

About  this  time  a  serious  tumult  occurred  in  Boston.  A 
number  of  sailors  having  deserted  from  the  squadron  at  Nan- 
tasket.  Commodore  Knowles  sent  boats  to  the  town  the  next 
morning  and  seized  several  of  the  seamen  belonging  to  the 
vessels  in  port,  "  impressing  some  ship's  carpenters'  appren- 
tices and  laboring  landsmen."  This  outrage  aroused  the 
indignation  of  the  people,  and  a  mob  was  formed.  About 
dusk,  several  thousand  men  assembled  in  King  Street,  below 
the  town-house,  where  the  General  Court  was  in  session.  All 
attempts  to  appease  the  animosity  of  the  crowd  proved  fruit- 
less ;  and  even  Pepperell,  "  with  all  his  personal  popularity, 
was  equally  unsuccessful  in  stilling  the  tumult."  On  the 
following  day  the  troops  were  ordered  under  arras  ;  the 
governor,  fearful  of  his  safety,  withdrew  to  the  castle  ;  and 
Commodore  Knowles  was  requested  to  propose  some  method 


200  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  conciliation.  The  only  method  which  he  would  accede 
to  was  to  bombard  the  town.  On  the  19th  of  November, 
the  court,  who  had  hitherto  withheld  their  interference, 
resolved  "  to  stand  by,  and  suj^port  with  their  lives  and 
estates,  his  excellency  the  governor  and  the  executive  part 
of  the  government,  and  to  exert  themselves,  by  all  ways  and 
means  possible,  in  reducing  such  grievances  as  his  Majesty's 
subjects  have  been  and  are  under."  This  and  other  resolves 
quieted  the  excitement,  and  on  the  20th  the  governor  was 
conducted  back  to  his  residence  with  great  parade.  The 
commodore  freed  the  seamen  whom  he  had  impressed,  and 
shortly  afterwards  took  his  departure. 

From  this  time  onward  the  province  continued  to  prosper. 
In  1748  the  population  somewhat  exceeded  two  hundred 
thousand  souls  ;  that  of  Boston  alone  was  upward  of  twenty 
thousand.  In  all  the  counties  there  were  one  hundred  and 
forty  towns,  —  nearly  double  the  number  at  the  grant  of 
William  and  Mary.  The  commercial  wealth  was,  also, 
steadily  increasing.  Tlie  value  of  the  imports  from  Great 
Britain  to  America,  from  1738  to  1748,  amounted,  in  the 
aggregate,  to  more  than  thirty  millions  of  dollars,  or  about 
seven  and  a  half  millions  sterling.  It  may  be  said,  finally, 
that  the  province  had  increased  in  wisdom  ;  that  its  experi- 
ence at  the  hands  of  the  mother  country  was  not  forgotten  ; 
and  that  already  many  honestly  believed  that  the  same  old 
drums  that  beat  at  the  fall  of  Louisburg  would  soon  be  re- 
quired to  rally  American  patriotism  in  defence  of  God-given 
riffhts  and  liberties. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN   WAR.  201 


PHAPTER    X. 

THE   FRENCH  AND   INDIAN  WAR. 

The  peace  of  Aix-la-Chapellc,  in  1748,  which  was  forced 
on  the  contending  powers  by  sheer  exhaustion,  was  more  a 
truce  than  a  league.  France  was  dreaming  of  far  wider 
schemes  for  the  humiliation  of  England ;  and  her  aims  spread 
far  beyond  Europe.  In  America,  she  not  only  claimed  the 
valleys  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Mississippi,  but  forbade 
the  English  colonists  to  cross  the  Alleghanies,  and  planted 
Fort  Duquesne  on  the  waters  of  the  Ohio.  At  the  same 
time  England  was  looking  forward  to  the  day  when  she 
should  be  able  to  expel  the  French  from  North  America, 
supply  the  farthest  wigwam  from  her  workshops,  and  assume 
absolute  sway  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  For  the 
purpose  of  frustrating  the  plans  of  France,  a  company, 
chiefly  of  Virginians,  was  formed,  and,  in  1749,  settlements 
were  projected  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  By  the  terms  of 
the  treaty  of  1748,  the  bounds  of  the  two  nations  were  to 
remain  the  same  as  before  the  war ;  but,  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  these  bounds  had  been  in  dispute.  Measures  were 
taken,  in  1750,  for  the  adjustment  of  these  bounds,  and  com- 
missioners were  appointed.  Nearly  two  years  were  spent 
in  idle  conference,  and  no  satisfactory  result  was  reached. 

Meanwhile  a  fleet,  under  Edward  Cornwallis,  arrived  in 
American  waters,  and  established  an  English  settlement  near 
the  harbor  of  Chebucto,  which  received  the  name  of  Halifax, 
26 


202  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

in  honor  of  the  Earl  of  Halifax.  Thus  sprang  into  existence 
the  first  town  of  English  origin  east  of  the  Penobscot.  Be- 
fore the  winter  of  1749  had  closed,  nearly  three  hundred 
houses  were  covered  in.  Shortly  afterwards  a  blockhouse 
was  raised  at  Minas,  now  Lower  Horton,  and  a  fort  was 
built  at  Pesaquid,  now  Windsor,  to  protect  the  communica- 
tions with  Hahfax.  These  posts,  with  Annapolis  on  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  secured  the  peninsula.^ 

Governor  Shirley,  who  had  won  renowm  at  Louisburg, 
was  now  desirous  of  gathering  fresh  laurels  on  the  field  of 
action.  To  him  it  seemed,  since  the  failure  of  the  commis- 
sion, that  war  between  England  and  France  was  inevitable  ; 
and  he  himself  was  quite  urgent  that  it  should  commence 
speedily.  Should  hostihties  open,  he  felt  sure  that  he  would 
be  promoted  at  once  to  the  charge  of  a  regiment,  if  not 
made  a  general  officer.  Both  at  home,  and  in  his  de- 
spatches to  England,  he  urged  the  necessity  of  repelling  the 
designs  of  the  French,  and  of  extending  the  territory  of 
Massachusetts  to  the  eastward.  In  1752  hostilities  began 
in  the  south.  In  the  following  year  Governor  Dinwiddie, 
of  Virginia,  his  attention  being  attracted  by  supposed  en- 
croachments of  the  French,  and  by  their  seeming  efforts  to 
connect  the  Lakes  with  the  Ohio  by  a  line  of  posts,  sent  a 
letter  to  St.  Pierre,  the  commanding  officer  on  the  Ohio, 
requiring  him  to  withdraw  from  the  English  dominions. 
George  Washington,  then  just  twenty-two  years  of  age,  was 
commissioned  to  be  the  bearer  of  this  demand.  But  little 
did  he  foresee  the  consequences  which  were  to  result  from 
this  movement,  or  dream  of  the  honors  which  the  future  had 
in  store  for  him. 

It  was  late  in  the  spring  when  Washington,  commanding 

>  Haliburton,  Nova  Scot.  i.  13G-142.     Bancroft,  iv.  44-46. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  203 

a  small  body  of  troops,  began  his  lino  of  march  towards  tho 
position  of  the  enemy.  The  English,  however,  were  l)ut  a 
handful  compared  to  their  opponents  ;  and,  in  July,  after 
several  futile  attempts  to  dislodge  the  French,  the  situation 
of  Washington  became  perilous.  His  troops  were  almost 
destitute  of  provisions,  and  the  ground  which  he  occupied 
was  ill  adapted  to  military  purposes.  Completely  hemmed 
in  on  every  side,  Washington  was  forced  to  sign  articles  of 
capitulation,  by  which  Fort  Xecessity  was  surrendered  to  the 
enemy,  and  he  and  his  troops  were  permitted  to  return  with- 
out molestation  into  the  inhabited  parts  of  Virginia.  Thus 
the  French  remained  possessed  of  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  ; 
and  the  frontiers  were  again  exposed  to  their  rav.iges,  and 
those  of  their  Indian  allies.^ 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1754,  a  memorable  congress  of  com- 
missioners from  every  colony  north  of  the  Potomac  assembled 
at  Albany.  The  delegates  convened  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
certing measures  of  defence,  and  of  treating  with  the  Six 
Nations,  whose  alliance  it  was  important  to  secure.  America 
had  never  before  witnessed  so  venerable  a  conference  ;  and 
every  voice  declared  a  union  of  the  colonies  to  be  absolutely 
necessar3\  "  A  voluntary  union,"  wrote  Franklin,  "  entered 
into  by  the  colonies  themselves,  would  be  preferable  to  one 
imposed  by  Parliament ;  for  it  would  be,  perhaps,  not  much 
more  difficult  to  procure,  and  more  easy  to  alter  and  improve, 
as  circumstances  should  require  and  experience  direct." 
The  first  day  of  the  congress  was  spent  in  organizing,  and 
settling  preliminary  business.  The  representatives  of  the 
Six  Nations  ass*eml)led  tardily,  and,  although  negotiations 
were  carried  on  at  intervals,  the  "  chain  of  friendship  "  was 
thoroughly  wrought.     On  the  24th,  a  committee,  composed 

*  Marshall's  Washington,  i.  2-G. 


204  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

of  Thomas  Hutchinson  of  Massachusetts,  Theodore  Atkinson 
of  New  Hampshire,  Stephen  Hopkins  of  Rhode  Island,  Wil- 
liam Pitkin  of  Connecticut,  Benjamin  Franklin  of  Penn- 
sylvania, "William  Smith  of  New  York,  and  Benjamin  Tasker 
of  Maryland,  all  of  them  distinguished  men,  with  eighteen 
others  less  famous,  was  appointed  "  to  prepare  and  receive 
plans  or  schemes  for  the  union  of  the  colonies,  and  to  digest 
them  into  one  general  plan  for  the  inspection  of  this  board."  * 
Four  days  later  "  hints  of  a  scheme  "  were  presented,  and 
these  "  hints  "  were  debated  for  several  days.  On  the  10th 
of  July,  Franklin  "  reported  the  draught  in  a  new  form," 
which,  after  a  short  debate,  was  adopted. 

By  the  terms  of  this  plan,  "  the  local  constitutions  were 
recognized.  The  representatives  of  the  people  of  each 
colony,  in  their  own  assembly,  were  to  choose,  every  three 
years,  members  to  form  a  Grand  Council ;  the  general  gov- 
ernment was  prohibited  from  impressing  men  without  the 
consent  of  the  local  legislature  ;  any  colony,  on  an  emer- 
gency, might  defend  itself;  and  the  particular  military  as 
well  as  civil  establishments  in  each  colony  were  to  remain  in 
their  present  state,  '  the  general  constitution  notwithstand* 
ing ; '  with  this  proviso,  however  :  '  except  in  the  particu- 
lars wherein  a  change  might  be  directed  '  by  the  contem- 
plated act  of  Parliament.  The  union  element  was  embodied 
in  a  Grand  Council,  to  meet  once  a  year.  .  It  was  to  have 
the  power  to  choose  a  speaker,  and  was  not  to  be  dissolved, 
prorogued,  or  continued  in  session  longer  than  six  weeks, 
without  its  own  consent,  or  the  special  command  of  the 
crown.  It  was  to  be  empowered  to  make  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  regulate  trade  with  them,  buy  lands  of  them  for 
the  crown,  and  authorize  new  settlements  ;    and    for   these 

»  Doc.  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  U.  664. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  205 

purposes  to  make  laws  ;  to  levy  duties,  imposts,  or  taxes  ; 
to  nominate  all  civil  ofBccrs  who  were  to  act  under  the 
constitution,  and  to  approve  of  all  military  officers ;  to 
appoint  a  general  treasurer,  and  a  special  treasurer  in  each 
government,  and  to  have  a  joint  voice  in  the  expenditure 
of  the  monej's  raised;  to  enlist  and  pay  soldiers  and  build 
forts.  The  laws  were  not  to  be  repugnant  to  those  of  Eng- 
land, but  as  near  as  possible  to  be  agreeable  to  them  ;  and 
they  were  to  be  submitted  to  the  king,  and  if  not  disap- 
proved within  three  years,  to  remain  in  force.  The  ex- 
ecutive power  was  to  be  vested  in  a  president-general, 
appointed  and  supported  by  the  crown.  He  was  to  nomi- 
nate military  officers  ;  commission  all  officers,  manage,  with 
the  advice  of  the  Grand  Council,  Indian  affairs ;  have  a 
negative  on  all  the  acts  of  the  Grand  Council ;  and  to  carry 
their  acts  into  execution."  ^ 

Such  was  the  confederacy  of  1754,  framed  just  twenty- 
two  years  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 
opposed  by  no  one  on  the  royalist  side  except  De  Lancey 
of  New  York,  and  approved  at  the  time  by  every  member 
of  the  congress  save  him.  A  copy  of  the  plan  was  sent  to 
each  one  of  the  colonies  which  had  not  appointed  commis- 
sioners, and  was  then  earnestly  recommended  to  the  people. 
On  the  11th  of  July  the  congress  adjourned.  There  was 
nothing  binding  in  the  action  of  the  congress  until  con- 
firmed by  the  assemblies.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  plan 
was  negatived  by  every  assembly  before  which  it  was  brought, 
and  public  opinion  declared  loudly  against  it.  In  England 
it  met  with  a  similar  fate ;    and   reflecting  men  in  the  Old 


'  Frothingham,  Rise  of  tlie  Republic,  142,  —  a  work  invaluable  to   every 
American  citizen. 


206  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

World  "dreaded  American  union  as  tlie  keystone  of  inde- 
pendence." ^ 

In  the  month  of  October,  Franklin  visited  Boston,  the 
home  of  his  childhood.  Shortly  after  his  return  to  Phila- 
delphia, he  carried  on  a  private  correspondence  with  Gov- 
ernor Shirley  relative  to  the  plan  of  a  union  of  the  colonies. 
In  these  letters  Franklin,  "  without  opj)osing  a  more  inti- 
mate union  with  Great  Britain  by  representatives  in  Par- 
liament, provided  a  reasonable  number  was  allowed,  at 
the  same  time  urged  a  repeal  of  the  acts  restraining  the 
trade  and  manufactures  of  the  colonies,  as  unjust  and  im- 
politic." 

Meanwhile  the  French  were  encroaching  within  the  limits 
of  Massachusetts  ;  and  in  March,  1754,  the  governor  urged 
the  General  Court  to  provide  for  the  raising  of  a  small 
army.  A  force  of  eight  hundred  men  was  mustered  into 
service,  and  was  ordered  to  march  to  the  Kennebec.  About 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  below  Taconnet  Falls,  a  fort,  called 
Fort  Halifax,  was  built.  On  the  present  site  of  Augusta, 
another  fort  was  erected,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of 
Fort  Western.  Projects  for  the  war  were  now  dail}^  con- 
sidered. Governor  Shirley  was  as  busy  as  ever,  and  seemed 
never  to  flag.  In  the  spring  of  1755  the  squadron  of 
Commodore  Keppel  anchored  in  Hampton  Road  ;  and  about 
the  middle  of  April,  by  the  orders  of  Braddock,  who  had  just 
been  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  colonial  forces, 
Shirley  and  the  other  governors  held  a  conference  with  him 
at  Alexandria.  At  this  conference  Braddock  stated  that  he 
had  been  ordered  to  conduct  in  person  an  expedition  to 
Fort  Duquesne  ;  he  proposed  that  the  regiments  of  Shirley 
and  Pepperell  should  march  to  Lake  Ontario,  the  troops  of 

'  Hutcliinson,  iii.  23.     Smith's  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  ii.  180,  seq. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN   WAR.  oqj 

General  Johnson  to  Crown  Point,  and  the  New  EngLand 
troops  should  sail  to  the  eastward  to  reduce  tlie  French 
settlements  in  Nova  Scotia. 

In  June,  twenty-two  hundred  men,  under  the  command 
of  General  Braddock,  left  Fort  Cumberland.  On  the  8th 
of  July,  the  advance  body,  after  a  long  and  tedious  march 
through  a  trackless  waste,  reached  the  junction  of  the 
Youghiogeny  and  Monongahela,  twelve  miles  distant  from 
Fort  Duquesne.  Fearful  of  the  approach  of  the  invaders, 
a  band  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  French  and  Canadians 
and  six  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  hastened  to  a  spot  pre- 
viously selected  for  an  ambuscade.  On  the  9th,  the  two 
armies  met,  and  a  desperate  combat  ensued.  The  English 
were  mown  down  like  grass.  Of  eighty-six  officers,  twenty- 
six  were  killed  and  thirty-seven  were  wounded ;  while  of 
the  men,  more  than  half  were  completely  disabled.  Brad- 
dock  himself,  after  five  horses  had  been  shot  from  under 
him,  fell  mortally  wounded.  Every  attempt  to  rally  the 
troops  was  vain.  The  rout  was  complete ;  and  as  quickly 
as  possible,  such  of  the  array  as  survived,  retreated  from 
the  scene  of  a  "  most  scandalous  "  defeat.^ 

Shirley  was  on  his  way  to  Oswego  when  he  received  the 
tidings  of  this  frightful  disaster.  By  the  death  of  Braddock, 
the  chief  command  of  the  forces  devolved  upon  him,  and 
he  was  now  in  the  height  of  his  glory.  There  was  a  fort 
at  Oswego ;  and  it  was  here  that  he  purposed  to  concen- 
trate his  forces  previous  to  proceeding  to  Niagara.  Although 
the  troops  were  disheartened  by  the  defeat  of  Braddock, 
Shirley  managed  to  urge  them  forward,  and  on  the  21st  of 
August  he  arrived  at  Oswego.  Here  weeks  were  passed  in 
building  boats  and  in  the  construction  of  a  new  fort.     The 

•  Sargent's  Braddock's  Exped.,  132,  scq.     Bancrofl,  iv.  18i-102. 


208  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

18th  of  September  was  set  as  the  day  for  embarking  the 
troops  on  Lake  Ontario ;  but  a  storm,  followed  by  head 
winds,  rendered  this  enterprise  unsuccessful.  On  the  24th 
of  October,  Shirley  returned  to  Massachusetts,  leaving  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Mercer  in  command  at  Oswego. 

Meanwhile  General  William  Johnson,  of  New  York,  had 
been  placed  in  command  of  the  expedition,  which  was  to 
proceed  to  Crown  Point  for  the  reduction  of  Fort  Fred- 
erick. His  commission  had  been  signed  by  Governors  Shirley 
and  De  Lancey ;  and  the  army  under  his  charge  consisted 
of  New  England  militia,  chiefly  from  Connecticut  and  Mas- 
sachusetts. About  the  middle  of  July,  Major  General  Ly- 
man, with  a  detachment  of  one  thousand  men,  advanced  to 
a  point  near  the  head  springs  of  the  Sorel,  about  sixty 
miles  from  Albany,  and  in  the  following  month  had  built 
Fort  Edward.  Johnson  and  the  artillery  train  arrived  at  the 
fort  on  the  14th  of  August.  Having  held  a  council  of  war, 
he  advanced,  with  the  main  body  of  the  army,  across  the 
portage  of  twelve  miles,  to  the  southern  end  of  Lake  George, 
which  the  French  called  St.  Sacrament.  Here  he  pitched 
a  camp  for  five  thousand  men ;  and  here,  while  his  men 
were  reposing  in  idleness,  and  admiring  the  beautiful  and 
romantic,  the  news  came  that  a  party  of  French  and  Indians 
had  been  discovered  at  Ticonderoga.  Johnson  proposed  to  sail 
thither,  and  despatched  a  letter  to  Shirley  requesting  boats. 

Very  soon,  England  and  America  were  both  to  unite  in  re- 
joicing over  a  signal  victory.  In  May,  1755,  a  French  fleet  of 
twenty-two  ships  of  the  line,  besides  frigates  and  transports, 
had  sailed  from  Brest,  under  the  command  of  the  veteran 
Baron  Dieskau.  About  the  middle  of  June  a  thousand  of 
the  troops  had  been  landed  at  Louisburg,  while  the  remain- 
der, under  De  Vaudreuil  and   Dieskau,  arrived   at  Quet)ec. 


A 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  200 

"  Boldness  wins,"  was  Dieskau's  maxim  ;  and  his  first  pro- 
ject was,  by  the  advice  of  De  Vaiidreuil,  to  seize  the  fort 
at  Oswego.  The  movements  of  Johnson,  however,  induced 
him  to  alter  his  plans,  and  instead,  to  cross  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  and  gain  the  rear  of  the  English  army.  Early  in 
September,  Johnson  learned  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy, 
and  having  detached  a  thousand  English  and  two  hundred 
Indians,  and  intrusted  the  command  to  Ephraim  Williams, 
a  INIassachusetts  colonel,  and  to  Israel  Putnam  of  Connecti- 
cut, he  ordered  them  to  march  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Edward. 
Johnson,  with  four  thousand  able-bodied  men,  still  remained 
in  the  encampment  on  Lake  George. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  about  an  hour  after  the  de- 
parture of  Williams,  loud  firing  betokened  the  nearness  of 
the  enemy  ;  and  it  soon  transpired  that  the  small  detach- 
ment had  been  surprised,  and  forced  to  retreat,  with  the 
loss  of  their  commander.  Upon  a  sudden,  the  troops  under 
Dieskau  came  in  sight.  The  camp  was  not  3'et  fortified  ; 
but  "  when  the  noise  of  musketry  was  heard,  two  or  three 
cannon  were  hastily  brought  up  from  the  margin  of  the 
lake,  and  trees  were  felled  for  a  breastwork."  ^  It  had 
been  Dieskau's  plan  to  rush  suddenly  into  the  camp  ;  but 
the  Iroquois  "  took  possession  of  a  rising  ground,  and  stood 
inactive."  The  Abenakis  did  likewise.  Whereupon  the 
regulars,  finding  themselves  deserted  by  the  Canadians  and 
their  savage  allies,  skulked  behind  trees  and  opened  a  brisk 
fire.  The  battle  began  just  before  noon,  and  for  five  hours 
the  New  England  militia  kept  up  the  "most  violent  fire 
that  had  as  yet  been  known  in  America."  Dieskau,  thrice 
wounded,  was  made  a  prisoner.  Of  the  Americans,  two 
hundred  and  sixteen  were  killed,  including  the  gallant  Tit- 

'  Bancroft,  iv.  210. 

27 


210  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

comb,  who  had  bravely  fought  at  the  siege  of  Louisburg, 
and  ninety-six  were  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  French  was 
much  greater.  For  his  services  in  this  engagement,  Johnson 
received  the  honors  of  knighthood  from  the  king,  and  a  gra- 
tuity of  five  thousand  pounds.  Such  was  the  feeling  in 
England,  that  the  House  of  Lords  praised  the  colonists  as 
"  brave  and  faithful,"  while  the  ministry  exulted  in  the 
defeat  and  death  of  Dieskau.^ 

Another  project  remains  to  be  noticed,  —  the  expedition 
against  Nova  Scotia,  —  which,  though  proposed  by  Massa- 
chusetts, was  undertaken  at  the  expense  of  the  crown.  The 
army  consisted  of  two  battalions,  the  first  under  the  com- 
mand of  John  Winslow,  of  Marshfield,  the  second  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Scott.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Monckton, 
of  Nova  Scotia,  was  appointed  by  the  king  to  take  charge  of 
the  expedition.  On  the  20th  of  May  the  troops  from  Mas- 
sachusetts embarked,  and  arrived  at  Annapolis  towards  the 
last  of  the  month.  On  the  1st  of  June  the  whole  fleet, 
numbering  forty-one  vessels,  anchored  about  five  miles  from 
Fort  Lawrence,  near  the  site  of  Beaubassin.  On  the  2d  the 
troops  landed,  and  on  the  3d  a  council  of  war  was  held,  and 
the  siege  of  Beau  Sejour  was  resolved  upon.  In  the  mean 
time  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  Acadians,  by  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Abbe  Laloutre,  had  gathered  around  Beau  Sejour. 

On  the  4th  the  Anglo-American  troops  left  their  camps, 
on  the  glacis  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  began  the  march 
towards  Beau  Sejour.  The  route  lay  over  a  marsh,  and  the 
progress  of  the  army  was  slow  and  guarded.  Four  days 
later  General  Winslow  attacked  the  fort.  The  siege  was 
continued   until    the    16th,    when    the    enemy  surrendered, 

'  Doc.  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  ii.  683,  seq.  Mortimer,  Hist,  of  Eng.,  1.  611,  seq. 
Bancroft,  Barry,  &c. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  211 

the  "  garrison  being  allowed  to  march  out  with  the  honors 
of  war,  and  to  be  transported  to  Louisburg,  with  their 
effects,  at  the  expense  of  Great  Britain,  on  condition  of 
remaining  neutral  for  the  space  of  six  months."  Laloutre 
escaped  to  Quebec,  and,  being  censured,  was  afterwards  re- 
manded to  France.  A  few  days  later,  the  fort  at  Gaspe- 
reaux,  on  Bay  Verte,  surrendered  on  the  same  terms.  The 
question  now  arose,  What  sliall  be  done  with  the  Acadians  ? 
For  over  two  hundred  years  they  had  dwelt  in  the  country  ; 
by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  they  had  been  brought  under  the 
dominion  of  Great  Britain  ;  and  for  nearly  forty  years  they 
had  been  neglected  b}^  the  latter.  This  frugal,  industrious, 
and  benevolent  people  were  now  spoken  of  as  the  "  neutral 
French."  Although  they  were  peaceful  and  honest,  the 
anomalous  position  of  these  alien  subjects  was  a  source  of 
vexation  to  the  English  power.  At  a  council  held  at  Hali- 
fax, in  1755,  it  was  determined  that  the  Acadians  must  either 
take  an  unconditional  oath  of  allegiance  to  Great  Britain  or 
leave  the  country.  Almost  unanimously  they  refused  to 
take  the  oath,  but  declared  that  "  not  the  want  of  arms,  but 
their  conscience,  should  engage  them  not  to  revolt."  On 
the  11th  of  August  it  was  resolved,  at  a  council,  that  the 
people  should  be  driven  from  their  homes,  and  scattered,  as 
exiles,  over  the  whole  breadth  of  the  continent.  Always 
oppressed  by  the  English,  they  were  now  treated  as  captives.^ 
A  general  proclamation  was  now  issued,  ordering  all  the 
males  of  the  settlements,  "  both  old  and  young  men,  as  well 
as  all  the  lads  of  ten  years  of  age,"  to  assemble  at  the  church 
at  Grand  Pr6  to  hear  "  his  Majesty's  orders."  On  the  5th 
of  September  four  hundred  and  eighteen  unarmed  men 
obeyed.     "  You  are  convened  together,"  said  General  Wins- 

'  Ualiburton,  Nova  Scotia,  i.  163,  6eq.     Minot,  i.  122. 


212  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

low,  "  to  manifest  to  you  his  Majesty's  final  resolution  to 
the  French  inhabitants  of  this  his  province.  Yeur  lands  and 
tenements,  cattle  of  all  kinds,  and  live  stock  of  all  sorts, 
are  forfeited  to  the  crown,  and  you  yourselves  are  to  he 
removed  fi-om  this  his  province.  I  am,  through  his  Majesty's 
goodness,  directed  to  allow  you  liberty  to  carry  off  your 
money  and  household  goods,  as  many  as  you  can,  without 
discommoding  the  vessels  you  go  in.  I  hope  that,  in  what- 
ever part  of  the  world  you  may  fall,  you  may  be  faithful 
subjects,  a  peaceable  and  happy  people.  Meanwhile  you 
are  the  king's  prisoners,  and  will  remain  in  security  under 
the  inspection  and  direction  of  the  troops  I  have  the  honor 
to  command."  ^  On  the  10th  of  September  the  inhabitants 
of  Grand  Prd  —  in  all  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
twenty-three  souls  —  assembled  together  for  the  last  time. 
The  prisoners  were  drawn  up  in  the  church,  six  deep,  and 
all  the  young  men  were  ordered  to  embark  first  on  board 
the  vessels.  Next  marched  the  fathers,  and  lastly,  mothers 
and  wives  and  little  ones  were  told  that  they  must  wait 
until  the  arrival  of  fresh  transports.  In  December  the  last 
scene  in  the  cruel  drama  had  been  performed,  —  the  last 
Acadian  had  departed.  "It  is  some  consolation,"  says  a 
historian,  "  to  know  that  very  many  of  the  exiles  returned 
within  a  few  years  to  their  native  land,  and  though  not 
restored  to  their  native  farms,  they  became  an  integral  and 
respected  portion  of  the  population,  displaying,  under  all 
changes,  those  simple  virtues  that  they  had  inherited,  —  the 
same  modest,  humble,  and  peaceable  disposition  that  had 
been  their  early  attributes."  2     The  Acadians  were   dispersed 

'  Winslow's  Journal,  178,  179. 

*  Murdock,  Hist  of  Nova  Scotia.  Upon  the  fate  of  one  of  the  families  of 
Grand  Pre,  Longfellow  founded  his  poem  of  "Evangeline."  The  Acadians 
live  to  us  now  chiefly  in  history, 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  213 

from  New  Hampshire  to  Georgia.  In  a  land  of  strangers, 
they  gradually  dropped  out  of  the  living,  leaving  no  descend- 
ants, and  to  posterity  —  only  a  name. 

Such  were  the  events  of  the  campaign  of  1755.  Although 
hlood  had  been  wasted,  and  a  whole  people  scattered  to  the 
four  winds,  not  yet  had  war  been  formally  declared  either 
by  England  or  France.  In  the  spring  of  1756,  General 
Johnson,  having  built  Fort  William  Henry  on  Lake  George, 
and  garrisoned  it  with  sixteen  hundred  men,  returned  home. 
These,  with  the  garrison  of  seven  hundred  men  at  Oswego, 
constituted  the  entire  strength  of  the  English  upon  the 
western  frontier.  The  defences  of  the  French  included  Fort 
Frontenac,  at  Cataraqui,  near  Lake  Ontario,  a  fort  at  Crown 
Point,  with  works  at  Ticonderoga,  and  another  at  the  Falls 
of  Niagara,  called  Niagara,  Their  posts  extended  as  far 
west  as  the  Mississippi,  and  as  far  south  as  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

Governor  Shirley,  as  has  been  said,  returned  to  Massachu- 
setts in  the  autumn  of  1755.  At  Albany,  where  he  lingered 
for  a  few  days,  he  received  his  commission  as  commander- 
in-chief  "  of  all  his  Majesty's  forces  in  North  America  ; " 
and  by  his  orders,  a  congress  of  governors  and  field  officers 
was  held  at  New  York  in  December  of  that  year.  At  this 
conference,  Shirley  remarked  that  "  the  French  settlements 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  furnished  these  northern 
garrisons  neither  with  provisions  nor  stores,  being  not  only 
at  two  thousand  miles'  distance  from  any  of  them,  but 
embarrassed  with  insuperable  difficulties  by  a  laborious  navi- 
gation against  a  rapid  stream  ;  "  and  hence,  that,  "  could  the 
French  be  dislodged  from  Frontenac  and  the  little  fort  at 
Toronto,  and  their  entrance  into  Lake  Ontario  obstructed, 
all  their  other  forts  and  settlements  on  the  Ohio   and  the 


214  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

western  lakes  were  deprived  of  their  support  from  Canada, 
and  must  ere  long  be  evacuated."  ^  Shirley  then  proposed 
an  early  attack  upon  Fort  Frontenac,  Toronto,  and  Niagara ; 
and  that  Quebec  should  be  menaced  by  way  of  the  Kennebec 
and  the  Chaudiere.  His  colleagues  thought  all  efforts  vain 
without  the  interference  and  assistance  of  Parliament.  "  If 
they  expect  success  at  home,"  wrote  Gage,  "  acts  of  Parlia- 
ment must  be  made  to  tax  the  provinces,  in  proportion  to 
what  each  is  able  to  bear ;  to  make  one  common  fund,  and 
pursue  one  uniform  plan  for  America."  ^ 

Shirley  now  petitioned  the  legislature  of  the  province  for 
men  and  munitions  to  carry  out  his  plans.  After  some  hesi- 
tation, resolutions  were  passed  "for  raising  three  thousand 
men,  in  order  to  remove  the  encroachments  of  the  French 
from  his  Majesty's  territories  at  or  near  Crown  Point,  in 
humble  confidence  that  his  Majesty  will  hereafter  be  gra- 
ciously pleased  to  give  orders  for  defraying  the  expense  of 
this  expedition,  and  for  establishing  such  garrisons  as  may 
be  needed  in  order  to  maintain  the  possession  of  the  country." 
At  the  suggestion,  offered  indirectly  by  the  legislature, 
Shirley  conferred  the  chief  command  upon  General  Winslow, 
*'  an  officer  of  high  standing  and  distinguished  abilities." 
In  the  mean  time  Parliament,  not  indifferent  to  the  projects 
under  consideration,  granted  one  hundred  and  fifteen  thou- 
sand pounds,  and  forwarded  the  amount  to  America,  where 
it  was  divided  among  the  troops  who  had  served  the  previous 
year.  Another  proceeding  of  Parliament  was  unlooked  for  ; 
and  it  was,  to  the  governor  of  Massachusetts,  a  very  great 
surprise.  It  was  affirmed  that  his  services  in  behalf  of  the 
crown  were  over-estimated,  that  he  was  not  so  efficient  a 
soldier  as  he  thought  himself,  and  that  his  eagerness  to  for- 

'  1  M.  H.  Coll.,  vu.  132.  *  Bancroft,  iv.  222. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  215 

ward  his  own  interests  had  raised  up  for  liim  many  enemies. 
At  the  instance  of  Lord  Cumberhind  and  Fox,  Shirley  was 
disphaced,  and  the  Earl  of  Loudoun  was  appointed  governor 
of  Virginia  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  army.  It  was 
in  the  summer  of  1756,  and  Shirley  was  in  New  York 
when  he  received  tidings  of  his  recall.  Pending  the  arrival 
of  Loudoun,  the  charge  of  the  army  devolved  on  General 
Abercrombie. 

In  July,  General  Abercrombie  asked  Wiuslow,  who  was 
on  the  point  of  leaving  Albany  wnth  about  seven  thousand 
men,  "  what  effect  the  junction  of  his  ^Majesty's  forces  would 
have  Math  the  provincials,  if  ordered  to  join  them  in  their 
intended  expedition?"  Winslow  replied,  that  "he  should 
be  extremely  pleased  if  such  a  junction  could  be  made,  and 
that  he  was  under  the  immediate  command  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief; but  apprehended  that,  if  by  this  junc- 
tion the  provincial  officers  were  to  lose  their  command, 
as  the  men  Avere  raised  immediately  under  them  by  the 
several  governments,  it  would  cause  almost  an  universal 
discontent,  if  not  desertion."  After  the  arrival  of  Lord 
Loudoun,  the  same  question  was  asked,  and  the  same  answer 
was  returned  ;  but,  finall}-,  it  was  agreed  that  the  troops  of 
the  several  provinces  should  conduct  their  operations  sepa- 
rately. 

Affairs  at  Oswego  were  not  in  a  prosperous  condition. 
The  garrison  was  short  of  provisions,  and  word  had  been 
brought  in  that  a  French  army  of  twelve  hundred  men  was 
preparing  to  attack  the  place.  On  the  12th  of  August,  Os- 
wego was  invested,  and  three  days  later  it  fell.  The  forts 
were  razed.  "  This  is  the  banner  of  victory,"  Avas  the 
inscription  upon  the  cross  planted  by  the  missionaries  on  the 
vacant  site.      "Oswego   is    lost  —  lost,    perhaps,    forever," 


216  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

exclaimed  the  English.  "  Would  to  God  this  was  all," 
wrote  Winslow,  "  and  we  had  nothing  more  to  apprehend  ! 
The  French  can  now,  with  the  utmost  facility,  secure  the 
inland  country,  and  confine  us  to  the  very  brinks  of  the 
ocean  ;  a  free  communication  is  opened  between  Canada  and 
Louisiana,  and  all  our  intercourse  with  the  Indians  totally 
rescinded."  ^  Winslow  was  ordered  to  fortify  his  own  camp 
at  Fort  William  Henry,  Lyman  to  remain  at  Fort  Edward, 
Webb  to  post  himself  at  the  Great  Carrying  Place,  and 
Johnson  to  tarry  at  the  German  Flats.  Before  the  year 
closed  a  change  took  place  in  the  British  ministry,  and 
William  Pitt,  "  the  great  Commoner,"  assumed  the  reins 
which  had  fallen  from  the  hands  of  the  Duke  of  New  Castle. 
From  this  moment  the  Americans  grew  more  hopeful,  and 
"joy  revived  in  the  countenance  of  every  individual." 
Throughout  the  whole  land  the  cry  arose,  "  Canada, 
Canada  must  be  destroyed,  or  we  are  undone  !  We  have 
wasted  our  strength  in  lopping  the  branches ;  the  axe  must 
be  laid  to  the  root  of  the  tree."^ 

After  the  departure  of  Shirley,  the  chief  command  in  Mas- 
sachusetts rested  with  Spencer  Phips,  the  lieutenant  gover- 
nor. He,  however,  refused  to  act  m  the  present  emergency  ; 
and  a  commission,  consisting  of  Thomas  Hutchinson,  William 
Brattle,  Thomas  Hubbard,  John  Otis,  and  Samuel  Welles, 
was  appointed  to  represent  the  province  at  a  military  council 
held  in  Boston,  in  January,  1757.  A  levy  of  troops,  amount- 
ing to  four  thousand  men,  was  called  for  from  New  England, 
—  all  of  whom  were  to  be  mustered  into  service  before  the 
last  of  March.  In  May  tidings  were  received  from  England 
that  the  king  had  appointed  Thomas  Pownall,  Esq.,  governor 
of  Massachusetts.  He  arrived  in  Boston  in  August,  and 
was  formally  received  by  the  people. 

'  Winslow's  Journal.  *  Barry,  ii.  219. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  217 

During  the  winter  of  lToG-57  the  French  continued  their 
preparations  for  a  new  campaign.  By  the  orders  of  Mont- 
calm, a  detachment  of  French  and  Indians,  under  Vaudreuil 
and  De  Longueuil,  was  sent  for  the  reduction  of  Fort  Wil- 
liam Henry.  Several  attempts  were  made  to  capture  the 
place,  hut  the  garrison  was  on  the  watch,  and  the  enemy 
"  could  only  burn  the  English  battcaux  and  sloops,  the  store- 
houses, and  the  huts  of  the  rangers  within  their  pickets." 
Meanwhile  the  English  were  getting  ready  for  another  expe- 
dition. In  June,  Lord  Loudoun  left  New  York  with  six 
thousand  men,  in  a  fleet  of  four  war  ships  and  seventy  trans- 
ports, and  reached  Halifax  towards  the  close  of  the  month. 
Other  forces  had  departed  thither  before  him ;  and  the 
Avhole  armament  at  the  disposal  of  the  British  leaders  com- 
prised nineteen  ships  of  the  line  and  frigates,  together  with 
a  body  of  ten  thousand  men.  Instead  of  pushing  forward 
the  attack  on  Louisburg,  which  had  been  proposed,  Lou- 
doun wasted  his  time  "  in  making  sham-fights  and  planting 
cabbages."  The  French  were  re-enforced  ;  and  Loudoun, 
deeming  a  venture  'useless,  abandoned  the  expedition  and 
returned  to  New  York.^ 

During  this  dallying  in  the  north,  Montcalm  had  con- 
centrated all  his  forces  at  Montreal,  previous  to  making 
another  attack  upon  Fort  William  Henry.  On  the  2d  of 
August  the  savage  allies  of  the  French  dashed  openly  upon 
the  waters  of  Lake  George,  landed  at  the  southern  ex- 
tremity, and  took  the  English  almost  by  surprise.  INIontcalm 
disembarked  shortly  afterwards,  and  at  once  began  the 
attack.     Within  the  fort  was  a  garrison  of  less  than  five 

'  War])urton,  Conq.  of  Canada,  ii.  50-fi2.  Loudoun  lacked  decision. 
"  He  is  like  St.  George  upon  the  sign-posts,"  said  Franklin,  "  always  on  horse- 
back, but  never  advances." 

28 


218  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

hundred  men,  under  the  command  of  the  brave  Colonel 
Monro.  On  the  4th,  the  French  summoned  Monro  to  sur- 
render. "  Only  at  the  last  extremity,"  was  the  gallant 
reply  ;  and  not  until  the  evening  of  the  9th,  when  half  of 
the  cannon  were  burst  and  all  the  ammunition  was  exhaust- 
ed, did  Monro  hang  out  a  flag  of  truce.  General  Webb,  at 
Fort  Edward,  had  a  force  of  four  thousand,  and  might  have 
marched  to  the  relief  of  Monro  if  he  had  been  so  disposed. 
Although  cognizant  of  the  scheme  of  the  enemy,  he  seems 
to  have  viewed  the  preparations  of  Montcalm  "  with  an 
indifference  and  security  bordering  on  infatuation.  It  is 
creditably  reported  that  he  had  private  intelligence  of  all 
the  doings  and  motions  of  the  French  general,  yet,  either 
despising  his  strength  or  discrediting  the  information,  he 
neglected  collecting  the  militia  in  time,  and  the  fortress 
fell."  ^  After  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  as  many  of  tl>e 
English  as  escaped  butcher}'-  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians 
fled  to  Fort  Edward. 

By  this  disaster  the  English  lost  control  of  the  basin  of 
the  Ohio.  Already  had  they  been  driven  from  the  basin  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  ;  and  many  began  to  entertain  the  opinion 
that  so  long  as  the  war  was  conducted  by  Bril^jsh  command- 
ers, the  French  would  continue  to  be  victorious.  "  O,  that 
we  had  nothing  to  do  with  Great  Britain  forever !  "  was  the 
impassioned  wish  of  John  Adams.  But  a  brighter  day  was 
soon  to  dawn.  In  June,  1757,  Pitt,  having  been  reappointed 
to  his  office,  exerted  himself  diligently  to  retiieve  the  for- 
tunes of  England.  While  his  constituents  were  bewailing 
ill  luck  both  at  home  and  abroad,  "  I  am  sure,"  said  Pitt  to 
the  Duke  of  Devonshire,   "  I  can  save  this  countrj^,  and  no 

'  Mortimer,  Hist.  Eng.,  iii.  5G7.  Webb  was  afterwards  censured  for  his 
cowardice. 


THE  FREXCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  210 

one  else  can."  ^  Reviewing  the  reverses  of  1757,  he  re- 
marked, "  Nothing  has  been  done  ;  nothing  attempted.  We 
have  lost  all  the  waters  ;  we  have  not  a  boat  on  the  lakes. 
Every  door  is  open  to  Franee."  ^  Pitt  now  began  to  bring 
about  a  reform.  In  the  spring  of  1758  Lord  Loudoun  was 
recalled,  and  "  added  one  more  to  the  military  officers  who 
advised  the  magisterial  exercise  of  British  authority,  and 
voted  in  Parliament  to  sustain  it  by  fire  and  sword."  A 
letter  was  also  forwarded  to  Massachusetts,  recommending, 
in  the  strongest  terms,  the  enlistment  of  fresh  troops,  and 
pledging  a  proper  compensation  by  Parliament  ;  at  the  same 
time  the  king  ordered  that  "  every  provincial  officer,  of  no 
higher  rank  than  colonel,  should  have  equal  command  with 
the  British,  according  to  the  date  of  their  commissions." 

Thus  encouraged,  the  legislature  voted  to  raise  seven 
thousand  men.  The  legislatures  of  the  other  provinces  voted 
likewise  ;  and  before  the  season  closed,  no  less  than  twenty 
thousand  fresh  troops  were  mustered  into  service.  The 
English  were  now  bent  upon  the  reduction  of  Canada ;  for 
whose  safety  the  French  trembled,  while  famine  was  staring 
them  in  the  face.  "  I  shudder  when  I  think  of  provisions," 
said  Montcalm.  "  The  famine  is  very  great."  Two  months 
later  he  wa-ote,  "  For  all  our  success,  New  France  needs 
peace,  or  sooner  or  later  it  must  fall,  such  are  the  numbers 
of  the  English,  such  the  difficult}'  of  our  receiving  supplies."  ^ 
Three  projects  were  planned  by  the  British  ministry :  the 
reduction  of  Louisburg,  by  the  combined  forces  of  Sir  Jeffrey 
Amherst,  James  Wolfe,  and  Admiral  Boscawen ;  the  scouring 
of  the  Ohio  valley,  by  Joseph  Forbes,  and  the  expe^lition 
under  the  command  of  Abercrombie  and  Lord  Howe  against 
Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point. 

'  Mahon,  Hist.  Eng.,  i.  299.  '*  Touchofs  Mcms.,  i.  130,  131. 

*  Bancroft,  iv.  290. 


220  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

In  May,  1758,  Amherst  arrived  at  Halifax,  with  twenty- 
two  ships  of  the  hne,  fifteen  frigates,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  smaller  vessels  under  Boseawen,  and  an  army  of 
twelve  thousand  men.  Wolfe,  who  had  fought  at  Dettingen 
and  Fontenoy,  and  Cook,  afterwards  celebrated  as  the  cir- 
cumnavigator of  the  globe,  also  served  in  the  expedition. 
On  the  8th  of  June  the  troops  effected  a  landing  at  Gabarus 
Bay,  under  the  well-directed  fire  of  the  French,  and  pushed 
through  the  fatal  surf  of  Freshwater  Cove.  After  losing  one 
hundred  and  ten  men,  the  English  carried  the  intrenchments 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  the  French  fell  back  on 
Louisburg.  Without  delay  Wolfe's  brigade  took  possession 
of  the  old  Lighthouse  Battery,  and  opened  fire  on  the  city. 
Five  of  the  French  frigates  sank  under  the  tremendous  can- 
nonade, and  the  harbor  was  left  unguarded.  In  the  mean 
time  the  heavy  siege  batteries  were  advanced  rapidly,  and 
poured  in  a  crushing  fire  on  the  doomed  city.  At  length, 
on  the  26th  of  July,  Louisburg  was  in  ruins,  and  the  fortress 
surrendered,  with  more  than  five  thousand  prisoners,  two 
hundred  and  thirty-six  pieces  of  artillery,  and  an  immense 
amount  of  stores  and  supplies.  The  "  Dunkirk  of  America" 
had  fallen,  and  all  England  rang  with  praises  of  the  victory.^ 

Whilst  this  success  was  being  achieved.  General  Forbes, 
with  nearly  seven  thousand  able-bodied  men,  was  hastening 
his  march  against  Fort  Duquesne.  In  this  expedition  Colo- 
nel George  Washington'  played  a  prominent  part.  As  the 
troops  drew  near  the  fort,  the  garrison,  about  five  hundred 
in  number,  set  fire  to  the  place,  and  proceeded  down  the 
Ohio  in  boats.  Washington,  with  immense  labor,  succeeded 
in  opening  a  way  for  the  main  body  of  the  army,  and  upon 

>  Mante's  Hist,  of  the  War,  152,  153.  Mortimer,  iii.  603-G04.  Warbur- 
ton,  ii.  7i-80. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  221 

the  2r)tli  of  November  he  planted  liis  banner  upon  the 
deserted  ruins.  In  lienor  of  the  great  statesman  of  England, 
the  place  was  named  Pittsbvu'g.i 

The  expedition  against  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point 
proved  a  failure.  In  June  an  army  of  fifteen  thousand  men 
assembled  on  the  banks  of  Lake  George,  and  on  the  5th 
of  July  the  whole  force,  in  upwards  of  a  thousand  boats, 
embarked  for  Ticonderoga.  "  The  spectacle  was  gorgeous 
to  behold  ;  the  armament  stretching  far  down  the  lake,  and 
moving  on,  with  Hashing  oars  and  glittering  weapons,  to 
strains  of  music  which  rang  shrilly  from  crags  and  rocks,  or 
died  away  in  mellowed  strains  among  the  distant  moun- 
tains." ^  On  the  Gth,  seven  thousand  men  began  a  march 
through  the  woods,  and,  falling  in  with  De  Trep(jzee,  at  the 
head  of  three  hundred  men,  a  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  Lord 
Howe  was  the  first  to  fall.  Massachusetts  voted  a  monument 
in  honor  of  the  gallant  commander,  which  was  placed  in 
Westminster  Abbey.  On  the  8th,  the  array  continued  the 
march.  iNIontcalm  beheld  the  discomfiture  of  his  enem^^ 
and  prepared  to  meet  them.  A  fierce  battle  ensued,  in  which 
two  thousand  of  the  English  were  either  killed  or  wounded. 
The  survivors,  panic-stricken,  did  not  pause  in  their  retreat 
until  "  atrain  far  out  on  the  bosom  of  Lake  Georj^e."  The 
reduction  of  Fort  Frontenac,  on  the  28th,  by  Bradstreet, 
was  only  a  partial  atonement  for  the  failure  of  Abercrombie.^ 

For  the  new  year's  campaign,  Massachusetts  raised  seven 
thousand  troops  ;  and  the  other  colonies,  likewise,  put  forth 
their  best  efforts.  The  great  object  in  view  was  the  capture 
of  Quebec.     On  the  1st  of  July,  1759,  General   Prideaux, 

'  Pouchot,  i.  170-177.  Marshall's  Wash.,  i.  22-26.  Sparks's  Wash.,  ii. 
271-027. 

'  Barry,  ii.  231. 

'  PouJiot,  i.  134-159.     Smith's  New  York,  ii.  2G5. 


222  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

with  a  strong  array,  embarked  on  Lake  Ontario,  and,  on  the 
15th,  invested  Fort  Niagara.  By  the  death  of  Prideaux, 
the  command  devolved  upon  Sir  William  Johnson.  On  the 
25th  the  garrison  capitulated.  Before  the  close  of  the 
month  General  Stanwix,  from  Pittsburg,  had  taken  possession 
of  the  French  posts  as  far  as  Erie.  In  the  mean  time  General 
Amherst  had  landed  an  army  of  eleven  thousand  men  near 
the  site  of  Abercombie's  former  encampment  on  the  banks 
of  Lake  George.  On  the  23d  of  July,  Bourlamarque,  the 
commandant  at  Ticonderoga,  conscious  of  his  weakness, 
secretly  abandoned  the  fort,  after  spiking  the  guns,  and  set 
fire  to  the  military  stores.  On  the  1st  of  August,  Crown 
Point  also  was  forsaken  by  the  French,  who  then  intrenched 
themselves  at  Isle-aux-Noix,  near  the  entrance  to  the  Rich- 
elieu River,  "  the  most  vulnerable,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
most  vital  part  of  Canada." 

Two  months  previous,  a  fleet  under  Sir  Charles  Saunders, 
and  the  army  under  General  Wolfe,  had  arrived  before 
Quebec.  Pitt  had  resolved  not  merely  to  foil  the  ambition 
of  Montcalm,  but  to  destroy  the  French  rule  in  America 
altogether  ;  and  in  choosing  Wolfe  as  a  commander,  he  had 
discerned  the  genius  and  heroism  which  lay  hidden  beneath 
the  awkward  manner  and  the  occasional  gasconade  of  the 
young  soldier  of  thirty -three.  Wolfe's  army  numbered  not 
far  from  eight  thousand  men  ;  while  the  fleet  of  Saunders 
comprised  twenty-two  ships  of  the  line,  and  as  many  frigates 
and  armed  vessels.  No  time  was  lost  in  perfecting  the 
arrangements  for  the  siege.  On  the  30th  of  June,  Point 
Levi,  opposite  Quebec,  and  on  the  south  shore  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  was  occupied  by  the  English,  and  from  this 
eminence  heavy  ordnance  poured  ruinous  fire  upon  the  city. 
On  the  9th  of  July,  Wolfe  crossed  the  north  channel,  and 


THE  FRENCH  AND  IXDTAN  WAR.  223 

encamped  upon  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Montmorenci, 
whence  he  continued  to  storm  the  citadel  with  frightful 
effect.  On  tlie  18th,  in  concert  with  Saunders,  Wolfe  re- 
connoitred the  shore  above  the  town  as  far  as  the  St. 
Charles.  July  and  August  passed  away,  without  delaying 
operations. 

Early  in  September,  Wolfe  resolved  to  draw  Montcalm 
into  an  open  action.  To  be  sure  he  had  "  the  whole  force 
of  Canada  to  oppose,  and  by  the  nature  of  the  river,  the 
fleet  could  render  no  assistance."  Having  well  secured  his 
posts  on  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  and  opposite  Quebec,  he  moved 
his  army  down  stream,  and  landed  on  the  13th,  on  the  cove, 
"  which  now  bears  his  name,  where  the  bending  promontories 
almost  form  a  basin  with  a  very  narrow  margin,  over  which 
the  hill  rises  precipitously."  From  this  position  he  resolved 
to  surprise  the  city.  It  was  an  autumn  evening  when  the 
general  issued  his  last  orders.  As  he  passed  from  ship  to 
ship,  to  make  his  final  inspection,  he  repeated  to  his  comrades 
the  prophetic  words  from  Gray's  Elegy :  — 

'*  The  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power, 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth  e'er  gave, 
Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour; 

The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

"  I  would  prefer,"  said  he,  "  being  the  author  of  that  poem 
to  the  glory  of  beating  the  French  to-morrow."  But  he 
knew  that  he  lived  under  the  eye  of  Pitt  and  of  his  country. 
On  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  September,  Wolfe  with 
Murray  and  Monckton,  and  about  half  of  his  army,  glided 
down  with  the  tide,  and  stood  ready  for  battle  upon  the 
Plains  of  Abraham.  JNIontcalra,  stationed  behind  his  in- 
trenchmeuts  on  the  other  side  of  the  St.  Charles,    beheld 


224  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

with  amazement  the  position  of  his  enemy.  "  It  can  be 
but  a  small  party,"  said  he,  "  come  to  burn  a  few  houses 
and  retire."  Later  he  exclaimed,  "  They  have  at  last  got 
to  the  weak  side  of  this  miserable  garrison  ;  we  must  give 
battle,  and  crush  them  before  midday."  About  ten  o'clock, 
the  two  armies  stood  face  to  face  ;  and  just  before  noon,  the 
short  but  desperate  conflict  began.  Wolfe  and  Montcalm 
both  fell,  mortally  wounded.  "  Support  me,"  said  the  former 
to  an  officer  by  his  side  ;  "let  not  my  brave  fellows  see  me 
drop."  He  was  borne  to  the  rear.  "  They  run,  they  run  !  " 
remarked  the  officer.  "Who  run?"  asked  Wolfe.  "The 
French  give  way  everywhere."  "  What !  "  exclaimed  the 
dying  hero,  "do  they  run  already?  Go,  one  of  you,  to 
Colonel  Burton  ;  bid  him  march  Webb's  regiment,  with  all 
speed,  to  Charles  River,  to  cut  off  the  fugitives.  Now,  God 
be  praised,  I  die  happy." 

On  another  part  of  the  field  the  brave  and  hopeful  Mont- 
calm was  struggling  with  death.  "How  long  shall  I  sur- 
vive ?  "  he  asked  of  the  surgeon.  "  Ten  or  twelve  hours, 
perhaps  less."  "  So  much  the  better  ;  I  shall  not  live  to 
see  the  surrender  of  Quebec."  To  De  Ramsay,  who  com- 
manded the  garrison,  and  who  asked  his  advice  about  defend- 
ing the  city,  he  replied,  "  To  3'our  keeping  I  commend  the 
honor  of  France.  As  for  me,  I  shall  pass  the  night  with 
God,  and  prepare  myself  for  death."  At  five  the  next  morn- 
ing Montcalm  expired.  On  the  17th  of  September,  De 
Ramsay  raised  the  white  flag,  and  Quebec  was  surrendered. 
During  the  siege  the  English  lost  six  hundred  and  sixty-four 
men,  and  the  French  lost  nearly  fifteen  hundred. ^ 

"  The  smiles    of  fortune  were  turned   to   frowns."     The 

'  Touchot,  Mems.,  ii.  131-1.50.  Mante,  171-189.  Mortimer,  iii.  655-663. 
Warburton,  ii.  171-220.     Bancroft,  iv.  324-338.     Barry,  ii.  236-239. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  225 

fall  of  Montcalm^  in  the  moment  of  his  defeat,  completed  the 
victory,  and  the  submission  of  Canada  put  an  end  to  the 
dream  of  a  French  empire  in  America.  In  breaking  through 
the  line  with  which  France  had  striven  to  check  the  west- 
ward advance  of  the  English  colonists,  Pitt  had  uncon- 
sciously changed  the  history  of  the  world.  His  support  of 
Frederick  and  of  Prussia  was  to  lead  in  our  own  day  to  the 
creation  of  a  United  Germany.  His  conquest  of  Canada, 
by  removing  the  eneni}-,  whose  dread  knit  the  colonists  to 
the  mother  country,  and  by  flinging  open  to  their  energies 
in  the  days  to  come  the  boundless  plains  of  the  west,  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  United  States.  Amherst  closed  the 
war,  in  the  following  year,  by  the  reduction  of  Montreal ; 
and  on  the  9th  of  September,  the  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil 
signed  the  capitulation  which  separated  Canada  from  France 
forever.  In  1763  peace  was  finally  declared.  To  the  Amer- 
icans this  conquest  was  the  stepping-stone  to  the  revolution ; 
it  trained  up  officers  for  the  armies  of  Washington,  and  cre- 
ated soldiers  for  the  defence  of  national  freedom. 
29 


226  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  STAMP  ACT. 

Chaeles  Davenant,  an  English  dramatist,  born  in  1656, 
thus  prophesied  two  centuries  ago :  *'  As  the  case  now 
stands,  we  shall  show  that  the  colonies  are  a  spring  of  wealth 
to  this  nation  ;  that  they  work  for  us,  that  their  treasure 
centres  all  here,  and  that  the  laws  have  tied  them  fast 
enough  to  us ;  so  that  it  must  be  through  our  own  fault  and 
misgovernment  if  they  become  independent  of  England. 
Corrupt  governors  may  hereafter  provoke  them  to  withdraw 
their  obedience,  and  by  supine  negligence  or  upon  mistaken 
measures  we  may  let  them  grow,  more  especially  New  Eng- 
land, in  naval  strength  and  power,  which,  if  suffered,  we 
cannot  expect  to  hold  them  long  in  our  subjection.  If,  as 
some  have  proposed,  we  should  think  to  build  ships  of  war 
there,  we  may  teach  them  an  art  which  will  cost  us  some 
blows  to  make  them  forget.  Some  such  courses  may,  in- 
deed, drive  them,  or  put  it  into  their  heads,  to  erect  them- 
selves into  independent  commonwealths."  ^  Many  years 
before,  Richard  Hooker,  the  great  light  of  English  literature, 
had  written,  that  "  the  lawful  power  of  making  laws  to 
command  whole  political  societies  of  men  belongeth  so 
properly  unto  the  same  entire  societies,  that  for  any  prince 
or  potentate,  of  what  kind  soever  upon  earth,  to  exercise 
the  same  of  himself,  and  not  either  by  express  commission 

*  Discourses,  pt.  ii.  204-205. 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  <2,<2,1 

immediately  and  personally  received  from  God,  or  else  author- 
ity received  at  first  from  their  consent  npou  whose  pcrsonvS 
they  impose  laws,  it  is  no  better  than  mere  tyranny."  ^ 
To  the  correctness  of  this  doctrine  the  colonists  readily 
subscribed  ;  and  believing  that,  as  Englishmen  and  as  men, 
they  had  rights  which  neither  the  king  nor  the  Parliament 
could  justifiably  infringe,  they  now  resolved  to  maintain  the 
sanctity  of  these  rights  as  a  part  of  their  own  existence. 
England  lost  her  colonies  by  her  own  mismanagement.  A 
gigantic  system  of  fraud  and  wrong  was  reared  to  such  a 
height  that  the  whole  political  fabric  tottered  under  its 
weight,  —  and  Revolution  and  Independence  were  the  natu- 
ral results. 

The  controversies  with  the  crown,  which  had  been  waged 
under  the  administrations  of  Dadle}^  of  Shute,  of  Burnet, 
and  of  Belcher,  were  continued  under  the  administration  of 
Shirley.  This  gentleman  was  a  sworn  defender  of  the  royal 
prerogative,  and  was  zealous  in  his  oppression  of  the  colo- 
nists. In  1749  he  wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  urging 
the  erection  of  "  fortresses,  under  the  direction  of  the  king's 
engineers  and  officers,"  and  that  "a  tax  for  their  mainte- 
nance should  be  laid  by  Parliament  upon  the  colonies."  In 
this  and  in  other  ways  he  succeeded  in  poisoning  the  minds 
of  the  king's  councillors,  and  in  inflaming  them  against 
British  subjects  in  America.  On  the  3d  of  March,  1740,  a 
bill  was  brought  into  Parliament,  providing  for  the  enforce- 
ment of  all  the  king's  instructions  in  the  colonies.  By  the 
foresight  of  wise  men  the  bill  was  defeated.  In  the  following 
year  a  committee  in  Parliament  submitted  a  bill  forbidding, 
"  under  a  penalty  of  two  hundred  pounds,  and  declaring  to 
be  nuisances,  the  erection  of  mills  for  slitting  or  rolling  iron, 

*  Ecclesiastical  Polity,  bk.  viii. 


228  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

or  plating  forges  to  work  with  a  tilt-hammer,  or  furnaces 
for  making  steel."  This  bill  also  failed  to  pass.  Meanwhile 
Shirley  continued  to  enjoin  the  "  necessity,  not  only  of  a 
Parliamentary  union,  but  taxation ; "  and  in  July,  1755,  it 
was  resolved  to  "  raise  funds  for  American  affairs  by  a  stamp 
duty,  and  a  duty  on  products  of  the  West  Indies  imported 
into  the  continental  colonies."  Upon  hearing  of  these  pro- 
ceedings, Massachusetts  wrote  to  her  agent  in  England, 
"  Oppose  everything  that  shall  have  the  remotest  tendency 
to  raise  a  revenue  in  the  plantations  for  any  public  uses  or 
services  of  government."  ^  It  was  not  difficult  to  interpret 
the  meaning  of  these  words.  If  any  apprehensions  were 
entertained  that  the  colonies  would  "  in  time  throw  off  their 
dependency  upon  the  mother  country,"  Shirley  was  ready 
Avith  his  assurance  that,  "  whilst  his  Majesty  hath  seven 
thousand  troops  kept  up  within  them,  with  the  Indians  at 
command,  it  seems  easy,  provided  his  governors  and  principal 
officers  are  independent  of  the  assemblies  for  their  subsist- 
ence, and  commonly  vigilant,  to  prevent  any  step  of  that 
kind  from  being  taken."  ^  The  signal  was  raised,  and  reso- 
lute lords  were  earnest  to  bring  the  people  "  into  immediate 
subjection." 

In  January,  1757,  the  project  "  to  introduce  a  stamp  duty 
on  vellum  and  paper,"  was  considered.  It  was  urged  upon 
Pitt,  who,  however,  "  scorned  to  take  an  unjust  and  ungen- 
erous advantage "  of  the  colonies.  This  profession  of  the 
minister  was  exceedingly  noble,  and  characteristic  of  the 
man  ;  and  the  people  of  Massachusetts  felt  assured  that  so 
long  as  he  remained  in  office  their  liberties  and  rights  would 
be  kept  inviolate.  The  legislature  of  the  province,  in  1759, 
imposed,  of  its  own  accord,  a  stamp   tax  upon  vellum   and 

»  Gordon,  Am.  Rev.,  i.  95.  -      «  1  M.  H.  Coll.,  vi.  129. 


THE  STAMP   ACT  229 

paper,  and  also  a  "  tax  on  personal  estate  of  thirteen  shillings 
and  foiirpence  on  the  pound  income,  and  a  poll  tax  of  nine- 
teen shillings  on  every  male  over  sixteen."  Governor  Pow- 
nall,  foreseeing  the  tendency  of  these  measures,  predicted 
the  nearness  of  independence,  and  laid  his  complaints  before 
the  Board  of  Trade.  The  latter  replied,  "  The  dependence 
which  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  ought  to  have  upon  the 
sovereignty  of  the  crown  stands  on  a  very  precarious  footing  ; 
and  unless  some  effectual  remedy  be  applied  at  a  proper  time, 
it  wdll  be  in  great  danger  of  being  totally  lost."  ^ 

Having  thus  preferred  his  grievances,  Governor  Pownall 
was  transferred  to  South  Carolina ;  and  Francis  Bernard, 
"  the  most  willing  friend  to  the  English  church  and  to  British 
authority,"  came  from  New  Jersey  to  be  the  governor  of 
Massachusetts.  These  continuous  changes  in  the  govern- 
ment planted  distrust  in  the  minds  of  the  people.  "  These 
English,"  said  they  to  one  another,  "  wdll  overturn  every- 
thing. We  must  resist  them,  and  that  by  force."  In  his 
first  address  to  the  legislature,  Bernard  gave  the  latter  to 
understand  that  "  they  derived  blessings  from  their  subjec- 
tion to  Great  Britain,"  and  declared  his  intention  to  preserve 
the  privileges  secured  by  the  charter.  The  legislature  did 
not  quite  like  the  expression  "  subjection  to  Great  Britain," 
and  admitted  only  a  "  relation  to  Great  Britain."  At  the 
same  time  the  colonists  professed  loyalty  to  the  English 
constitution.  But  such  professions  were  not  proof  against 
the  artful  insinuations  that  their  ^enemies  were  everywhere 
throwing  out  against  them.  "  For  all  what  you  Americans 
say  of  your  loyalty,"  remarked  Charles  Pratt,  afterwards  Earl 
of  Camden,  to  Franklin,  "  I  know  you  will  one  day  throw 
off  your  dependence  upon  this  country,  and  notwithstanding 

'  Bancroft,  iv.  2D7. 


230  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

your  boasted  affection  to  it,  will  set  up  for  independence." 
"  No  such  idea,"  replied  Franklin,  "  is  entertained  in  the 
minds  of  the  Americans  ;  and  no  such  idea  will  ever  enter 
their  heads,  unless  you  grossly  abuse  them."  "  Very  true, 
that  is  one  of  the  main  causes  I  see  will  happen,  and  will 
produce  the  event."  ^ 

While  the  work  of  abuse  was  going  on,  two  political 
parties  arose  in  the  province,  —  the  party  of  freedom  and 
the  party  of  prerogative.  The  former  was  the  people's 
party  ;  the  latter  embraced  such  of  the  wealthier  class  as 
hung  upon  the  royal  favor.  James  Otis  was  the  leader  of 
the  people's  party,  and  was  the  champion  of  freedom.  He 
was  born  at  Barnstable,  in  1725,  was  graduated  from  Har- 
vard College  in  1743,  and  three  years  later  began  the  prac- 
tice of  the  law  in  Plymouth.  In  1748  he  removed  to  Boston, 
where  "  the  brilliancy  of  his  talents  and  his  reputation  for 
integrity  won  for  him  an  enviable  fame."  He  it  was  who, 
*'  by  his  eloquence  in  opposition  to  the  royalists,  set  the 
province  in  a  flame."  Associated  with  him,  and  equall}'' 
devoted  to  their  country's  cause,  were  the  elder  Otis,  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  politicians  of  his  day  ;  Samuel  Adams, 
"the  father  of  the  revolution,"  and  a  man  "of  steadfast 
integrity,  exquisite  humanity,  genteel  erudition,  engaging 
manners,  real  as  well  as  professed  piety,  and  a  universal  good 
character  ;  "  ^  Oxenbridge  Thacher,  a  lawyer  of  great  merit, 
a  man  of  sagacity  and  patriotism,  respected  for  learning, 
ability,  purity  of  life,  and  moderation ;  James  Bowdoin, 
afterwards  governor  of  Massachusetts  ;  and  Thomas  Gushing, 
a  calm,  yet  earnest  devotee  to  freedom. 

The  leader  of  the  royalist  party  was  Thomas  Hutchinson, 
a   native   of    Massachusetts.      From  his   first   entrance  into 

»  Gordon,  Am.  Rev.,  i.  97.  *  John  Adams  Diary,  in  Works,  ii.  163. 


n6^  -rryn  cniii 


a^^ 


-^'Z-^^'y^Z-^,^!:^^ 


/^     e^^^<^:^>^y>-^'-l^ 


torn  tke  Onginal  Painnag  in  FaaeuiHaU  . 


THE   STAMP  ACT.  2P>1 

public  life  he  had  been  largely  identified  with  the  political 
movements  of  his  time,  and  had  always  been  zealous  in  his 
support  of  the  prerogative.  A  slave  to  a  grasping  ambit it)n, 
a  lover  of  money  and  of  position,  and  influential  because  of 
his  learning  and  experience,  he  sacrificed  the  better  qualities 
of  his  nature,  and  became  the  flatterer  of  every  one  whom  ho 
imagined  could  forward  his  interests.  He  counted  himself 
above  his  countrj^  and  hence  subordinated  his  patriotism 
to  his  personal  aggrandizement.  As  an  author,  he  is  worthy 
of  the  highest  commendation  ;  and  his  "  Histor}^  of  ]\Iassa- 
chusetts  "  is  the  best  monument  to  his  genius.  Of  this  work 
he  himself  has  written :  "  As  Bishop  Burnet,  I  desire  to 
write  the  history  of  my  own  time.  I  shall  paint  characters 
as  freely  as  he  did,  but  it  shall  not  be  published  while  I 
live  ;  and  I  expect  the  same  satisfaction,  which  I  doubt  not 
the  bishop  had,  of  being  revenged  of  some  of  the  r s  (ras- 
cals). After  I  am  dead,  I  wish  you  may  have  the  pleasure 
of  reading  it."  ^  By  the  "  Letters,"  which  Hutchinson 
wrote  in  the  stormy  days,  and  designed  only  for  private 
circulation,  but  which  were  afterwards  published,  the  glaring 
insincerity  of  the  man  was  unmasked  and  his  infamy  exposed. 
Andrew  Oliver,  a  brother-in-law  of  Hutchinson,  and  a  man 
of  the  same  principles ;  Jeremiah  Gridley,  a  lawyer  at  tlie 
head  of  his  profession  ;  and  Timothy  Ruggles,  distinguished 
for  the  boldness  and  strength  of  his  thoughts,  —  were  among 
the  other  noted  men  belonging  to  the  party  of  the  preroga- 
tive. 

In  October,  1760,  George  HI.  ascended  the  English  throne. 
For  the  first  and  last  time,  since  the  accession  of  the  House 
of  Hanover,  England  saw  a  king  who  was  resolved  to  play 
a  part  in  English  politics.     In  ten  years  he  reduced  govern- 

'  Hutchinson,  Corresp.,  ii. ;  Letter  dated  January  3,  17G3. 


232  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ment  to  a  shadow,  and  turned  the  loyalty  of  his  subjects 
into  disaffection.  In  twenty,  he  had  forced  the  colonies  of 
America  into  revolt  and  independence,  and  brought  England 
to  the  brink  of  ruin.  It  would  seem  as  if  great  men  only 
could  have  accomplished  such  work  as  this  ;  but  George  III. 
had  a  smaller  mind  than  any  English  king  before  him  save 
James  II.  "  Was  there  ever  such  stuff  as  Shakespeare  ?  '"  he 
once  asked.  His  education  Avas  wretched,  his  taste  was 
mean  ;  and  yet  he  was  clear  as  to  his  purpose,  which  was 
*'  to  rule."  Pitt  was  a  friend  to  the  colonists.  The  king 
longed  for  the  time  when  "  decrepitude  or  death  "  might  put 
an  end  to  Pitt ;  and  even  when  death  had  freed  him  from 
"  this  trumpet  of  sedition,"  he  denounced  the  proposal  for 
a  public  monument  as  "  an  offensive  measure  to  me  person- 
ally." There  was  nothing  in  the  character  of  the  new 
monarch  calculated  to  inspire  the  hope  that,  under  his  reign, 
the  affairs  of  the  provinces  would  be  less  rigorously  con- 
ducted. 

Scarcely  had  the  tidings  of  the  accession  of  George  III. 
reached  America,  when  an  event  transpired  significant  of 
the  drama  that  was  soon  to  open.  In  1733  Parliament  had 
levied  a  duty  of  sixpence  per  gallon  upon  all  foreign 
molasses  imported  into  the  colonies.  In  case  of  forfeiture, 
"  one  third  part  went  to  the  king  for  the  use  of  the  colony 
where  the  forfeiture  was  made,  one  third  to  the  governor, 
and  one  third  to  the  informer."  Under  this  act  many  illegal 
abuses  had  been  committed,  and  the  whole  conduct  of  the 
officers  of  customs  was  singularly  odious.  Finding  that  they 
were  likely  to  be  resisted  in  the  execution  of  their  duty,  one 
of  the  officers  petitioned  the  Superior  Court  for  "  Writs  of 
Assistance."  At  the  request  of  James  Otis,  a  day  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1761,  was  fixed  for  a  hearing ;  and  on  this  day  Thomas 


THE  STAAfP   ACT.  233 

Iliitcliinson,  the  chief  justice,  with  his  four  associates,  sat 
in  the  council  chamber  of  the  Old  State  House,  in  Boston,  for 
the  purpose  of  trying  the  cause. 

The  case  for  the  crown  was  argued  by  Jeremiah  Gridley, 
the  attorney-general.  "  The  statutes  of  the  12th  and  14th 
of  Charles  II,"  said  he,  "  and  the  Gth  of  Anne  allow  Writs 
of  Assistance  to  be  issued  by  the  English  Court  of  Ex- 
chequer ;  the  colonial  law  of  the  2d  William  III.,  chapter 
3,  devolves  the  power  of  that  court  on  the  colonial  Superior 
Court ;  and  the  statutes  of  the  7th  and  8th  William  III. 
confer  upon  colonial  revenue  officers  the  same  powers  as  are 
exercised  by  the  like  ofTicers  in  England.  To  refuse,  there- 
fore, the  Writ  of  Assistance,  even  if  the  common  privileges 
of  Englishmen  are  taken  away  by  it,  is  to  deny  that  the 
Parliament  of  Great  Britain  is  the  sovereign  legislature  of 
the  British  empire."  ^ 

The  wise  and  learned  Thacher  rose  to  reply.  "  The 
material  question  wliich  claims  our  attention,"  he  argued, 
"  is  whether  the  practice  of  the  Exchequer  is  good  enough 
for  this  court.  The  court  itself  has  renounced  the  chance 
of  jurisdiction  which  the  Exchequer  had  in  cases  where 
either  party  was  the  king's  debtor  ;  and  why  depart  in  the 
present  instance  ?  "  ^ 

Then  appeared  James  Otis  for  the  people  —  the  prophet 
of  their  greatness.  "  I  am  determined  to  my  dying  day  "  — 
such  were  his  glowing  words  — "  to  oppose,  with  all  the 
powers  and  faculties  God  has  given  me,  all  such  instru- 
ments of  slaver}'  on  the  one  hand,  and  villany  on  the  other, 
as  this  Writ  of  Assistance  is.  I  argue  in  favor  of  British 
liberties,  at  a  time  Avhen  we  hear  the  greatest  monarch  upon 
earth  declaring  from  his  throne  that  he  glories  in  the  name 

'  Hutchinson,  iii.  94.  *  Minot,  ii.  90. 

30 


234  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  Briton,  and  that  the  privileges  of  his  people  are  dearer 
to  him  than  the  most  valuable  prerogatives  of  the  crown.  I 
oppose  the  kind  of  power,  the  exercise  of  which,  in  former 
periods  of  English  history,  cost  one  king  of  England  his 
head,  and  another  his  throne.  Let  the  consequences  be  what 
they  will,  I  am  determined  to  proceed,  and  to  the  call  of  my 
countr}'-  am  ready  to  sacrifice  estate,  ease,  health,  applause, 
and  even  life.  The  patriot  and  the  hero  will  ever  do  thus; 
and  if  brought  to  the  trial,  it  will  then  be  known  how  far 
I  can  reduce  to  practice  principles  which  I  know  to  be 
founded  in  truth. 

*'  Special  writs  may  be  legal ;  and  the  Court  of  Exchequer 
may  grant  such,  upon  oath  made  before  the  Lord  Treasurer 
by  those  who  solicit  them.  The  act  of  14  Charles  IL  conclu- 
sively proves  this.  On  this  ground  the  present  writ,  being 
general,  is  illegal.  Every  one,  with  this  writ,  may  be  a  tja'ant ; 
and  if  this  commission  be  legal,  a  tyrant,  in  a  legal  manner, 
may  also  control,  imprison,  or  murder  any  one  within  the 
realm.  Again,  the  writ  is  perpetual.  No  return  is  to  he 
made  ;  and  he  who  executes  it  is  responsible  to  no  one  for 
his  doings.  He  may  reign  secure  in  his  petty  tyranny,  and 
spread  terror  and  desolation  around  him  until  the  trump  of 
the  archangel  shall  excite  different  emotions  in  his  soul. 
Besides,  the  writ  is  unlimited.  The  officer  may  enter  all 
houses  at  will,  and  command  all  to  assist  him.  Nay,  even 
his  menials  may  enforce  its  provisions.  And  what  is  this 
but  to  have  the  curse  of  Canaan,  with  a  witness,  upon  us  ?  — 
to  be  the  servant  of  servants,  the  most  despicable  of  God's 
creation  ? 

"  The  freedom  of  one's  house  is  an  essential  branch  of 
English  liberty.  A  man's  house  is  his  castle;  and  while  he 
is  quiet,  he  is  as  well  guarded  as  his  prince.     This  writ,  if 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  235 

declared  legal,  annihilates  this  privilege.  Officers  and  tlieir 
menials  may  enter  our  houses  when  they  please,  and  we 
cannot  resist  them.  Upon  bare  suspicion  they  may  institute 
a  search.  And  that  this  wanton  exercise  of  power  is  no 
chimera  facts  fully  prove.  Reason  and  the  constitution  are 
both  against  this  writ.  The  only  authority  that  can  be 
found  for  it  is  a  law  enacted  in  the  zenith  of  arbitrary  power, 
when  Star  Chamber  abuses  were  pushed  to  extremity  by 
some  ignorant  clerk  of  the  Exchequer.  But  even  if  the 
writ  could  be  elsewhere  found,  it  would  be  illegal.  No  act 
of  Parliament  can  establish  such  a  writ.  Though  it  should 
be  made  in  the  very  words  of  the  petition,  it  would  be  void  ; 
for  every  act  against  the  constitution  is  void."  ^ 

For  four  hours  the  audience  listened  to  this  stream  of 
eloquence  from  the  lips  of  Otis.  He  "  was  a  flame  of  fire," 
says  the  elder  Adams ;  "  with  a  promptitude  of  classical 
allusions,  a  depth  of  research,  a  rapid  summary  of  historical 
events  and  dates,  a  profusion  of  legal  authorities,  a  prophetic 
glance  of  his  eyes  into  futurity,  and  a  rapid  torrent  of  impet- 
uous eloquence,  he  hurried  away  all  before  him.  American 
independence  was  then  and  there  born.  Every  man  of  an 
immense,  crowded  audience  appeared  to  me  to  go  away,  as 
I  did,  ready  to  take  up  arms  against  Writs  of  Assistance."  ^ 
Notwithstanding  its  impressive  effect,  the  eloquence  of  Otis 
did  not  win  the  day.  The  cause  was  continued  "  to  the  next 
term  ; "  and  in  the  mean  time  the  plausible  Hutchinson  wrote 
to  England  for  instructions.  The  answer  came  ;  "  and  the 
subservient  court,  obeying  authority,  and  disregarding  law, 
granted  Writs  of  Assistance  whenever  the  officers  of  the 
revenue  applied  for  them."  ^ 

'  Minot,  ii.  91-99,  where  the  whole  of  the  speech  is  given. 

*  Allen,  Biog.  Diet.,  art.  Otis.  ^  Bancroft,  iv.  il9. 


236  HISTOR  V  OF  MASS  A  CHUSE  TTS. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1761,  William  Pitt,  the  "  Great 
Commoner,"  and  the  greatest  prime-minister  of  his  century, 
resigned  his  office  in  the  presence  of  King  George.  The 
Earl  of  Egremont  became  his  successor.  By  this  change 
the  sovereign  lost  one  whom  he  had  always  regarded  as 
"a  most  imperious  servant;"  the  people  of  America  lost 
for  a  season  the  influence  of  a  friend.  A  concurrence  of 
events  now  ripened  the  colonial  conflict  with  the  crown. 
About  this  time,  a  bill  making  gold  a  legal  tender  was 
reported  and  passed  in  the  House.  The  governor's  council 
refused  to  acquiesce,  and  the  House  passed  the  bill  again. 
The  controversy  upon  the  question,  although  of  minor  im- 
portance, again  called  forth  the  stirring  energies  of  Otis. 
When  the  news  arrived,  at  the  close  of  the  French  war, 
that  peace  had  been  proclaimed,  Mr.  Otis  thus  declared  the 
sentiments  of  Massachusetts:  "We  in  America,"  said  he, 
"  have  certainly  abundant  reasons  to  rejoice.  The  heathen 
are  not  only  driven  out,  but  the  Canadians,  much  more  for- 
midable enemies,  are  conquered  and  become  fellow-subjects. 
The  British  dominion  and  power  may  now  be  said,  literall3% 
to  extend  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  great  river  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  And  we  may  safely  conclude,  from  liis 
Majesty's  wise  administration  hitherto,  that  liberty  and 
knowledge,  civil  and  religious,  will  be  coextended,  improved, 
and  preserved  to  the  latest  posterity.  No  other  constitution 
of  civil  government  has  yet  appeared  in  the  world  so  admi- 
rably adapted  to  these  great  purposes  as  that  of  Great  Brit- 
ain. Every  British  subject  in  America  is,  of  common  right, 
by  acts  of  Parliament,  and  by  the  laws  of  God  and  nature, 
entitled  to  all  the  essential  privileges  of  Britons.  By  par- 
ticular charters  there  are  peculiar  privileges  granted,  as  in 
justice  they  might  and  ought,  in  consideration  of  the  arduous 


THE  STAMP   ACT.  237 

undertaking  to  begin  so  glorious  an  empire  as  British  America 
is  rising  to.  These  jealousies,  that  some  weak  and  wicked 
minds  have  endeavored  to  infuse  with  regard  to  the  colonies, 
had  their  birth  in  the  blackness  of  darkness ;  and  it  is 
great  pity  they  had  not  remained  there  forever.  The  true 
interests  of  Great  Britain  and  her  [Hantations  are  mutual  ; 
and  what  God  in  his  providence  has  united,  let  no  man  dare 
attempt  to  pull  asunder."  ^  These  loyal  sentiments  might 
long  have  continued  unaltered,  had  it  not  been  for  the  gross 
misconduct  of  the  councillors  of  the  king. 

At  the  close  of  the  French  war,  the  English  debt  amount- 
ed to  one  hundred  and  forty  millions  of  pounds  sterling  ; 
and,  in  order  to  diminish  this  burden  it  was  deemed  "just 
and  necessary  that  a  revenue  be  raised  in  his  INIajesty's 
dominions  in  America  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  defend- 
ing, protecting,  and  securing  the  same."  ^  In  INIarch,  17G3, 
Charles  Townshend,  a  leading  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  introduced  into  the  House  of  Commons  a  scheme  for 
raising  a  revenue  from  the  American  plantations  ;  but  the 
bill  failed  to  pass.  In  the  same  month,  and  only  a  few  days 
later,  Grenville,  who  was  resolved  that  the  colonies  should 
bear  their  share  of  the  English  burden,  caused  a  bill  to  be 
brought  in  which  provided  that,  "  all  officers  of  British  ships 
of  war  stationed  upon  the  American  coast  should  act  as 
officers  of  the  customs,  and  receive  a  share  of  the  cargoes 
confiscated  for  violation  of  the  revenue  laws."  This  bill 
passed  the  House,  was  agreed  to  by  the  Lords,  and  was 
finally  approved  by  the  king.  In  April,  Grenville  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  treasury,  and  Egremont  and  Lord 
Halifax  became  the  two  secretaries  of  state.  With  these 
changes  began  the  fierce  struggle  with  America.     Grenville 

'  Hutchinson,  iii.  101.  *  Bancroft,  v.  32. 


238  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

was  not  an  evil  man  at  heart ;  but  his  misguided  sense  of 
justice  forced  upon  his  ministry  very  many  evil  results.  By 
relying  wholly  upon  his  own  judgment  he  was  led  into  error, 
from  which,  when  discovered,  he  showed  no  inclination  to 
extricate  himself. 

In  May,  the  Lords  of  Trade  were  consulted  with  reference 
to  American  affairs.  Lord  Egremont  himself  proposed  the 
following  questions :  L  "  What  new  governments  should 
be  established,  and  what  form  should  be  adopted  for  such 
new  governments  ?  And  where  the  capital  or  residence  of 
each  governor  should  be  fixed?"  IL  "What  miUtary 
establishment  will  be  sufficient  ?  What  new  forts  should 
be  erected  ?  And  which,  if  any,  may  it  be  exj)edient  to 
demolish  ? "  III.  "  In  what  mode,  least  burdensome  and 
most  palatable  to  the  colonies,  can  they  contribute  towards 
the  support  of  the  additional  expense  which  must  attend 
this  civil  and  military  establishment,  upon  the  arrangement 
which  your  lordships  shall  propose?"^  The  Earl ^ of  Shel- 
burne  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Board  of  Trade ;  and  in  his 
reply  he  refused  to  implicate  himself  in  the  plans  for  taxing 
America.  Although  the  response  gave  scant  encouragement 
to  the  schemes  of  Townshend  and  Grenville  and  Egremont, 
these  gentlemen  were  not  intimidated.  Before  any  definite 
scheme,  however,  could  be  agreed  upon,  Egremont  died ; 
the  Earl  of  Shelburne  withdrew  from  his  post,  and  the  Earl 
of  Hillsborough  became  his  successor.  A  new  ministry  was 
also  formed,  with  Grenville  as  lord  treasurer. 

In  September,  Charles  Jenkinson,  the  secretary  of  Bute, 
was  directed  to  "  write  to  the  commissioners  of  the  stamp 
duties,  to  prepare  a  draught   of  a  bill  to    be    presented   to 

'  Egremont  to  the  Lords  of  Trade,  5  May,  17G3,  in  Fitzmaurice,  Life  of 
Shelburne,  i.  247,  seq. 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  239 

Parliament  for  extending  the  stamp  duties  to  the  colonies." 
The  secretary  obeyed  ;  and  on  the  23d,  the  Stamp  Act  was 
draughted.  Whether  Grcnville  was  the  author  of  this  odious 
measure,  which  the  good  sense  of  Walpole  had  rejected,  or 
not,  it  matters  but  little.  He,  at  least,  "  brought  it  into 
form,"  and  by  him  it  was  deliberately  sanctioned.  He,  at 
the  same  time,  foresaw  that  such  an  act  would  not  be  rel- 
ished by  the  Americans ;  he  felt  assured  that  some  resistance 
would  be  made  ;  and,  therefore,  he  next  gave  his  attention  to 
the  best  method  of  enforcing  it.  When  orders  were  issued 
to  the  commander-in-chief  in  America,  that  his  troops  should 
"  give  their  assistance  to  the  officers  of  the  revenue  for  the 
effectual  suppression  of  contraband  trade,  and  the  news 
came  that  the  plan  of  a  stamp  tax  had  again  been  proposed, 
the  whole  comitry  was  aroused.  "  My  heart  bleeds  for 
America,"  exclaimed  Whitefield.  *'  O,  poor  New  England, 
there  is  a  deep  laid  plot  against  both  )^our  civil  and  religious 
liberties  ;  and  they  will  be  lost.  Your  golden  days  are  at  an 
end." 

In  January,  17G4,  the  General  Court  of  INIassachusetts 
exerted  themselves  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act. 
But  all  that  they  could  do,  for  the  present,  was  merely  to 
discuss  the  question,  and  await  future  developments.  In 
March,  Grenville  renewed  his  scheme,  and  still  adhered  to 
his  unjust  policy.  Jenkinson  reported  a  bill,  at  his  instance, 
providing  for  a  duty  of  threepence  per  gallon  on  molasses, 
and  an  additional  duty  of  twenty-two  shillings  per  hundred 
weight  on  white  sugars  imported  into  the  British  colonies. 
It  was  agreed  to  by  the  Lords,  and  approved  b}'^  the  king. 

In  America,  there  was  "  not  a  man  on  the  continent  who 
did  not  consider  it  a  sacrifice  made  of  the  northern  colonies 
to  the  superior  interest  in  Parliament  of  the  West  Indies." 


240  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Even  before  its  passage  became  kno^yn  in  Massachusetts, 
Samuel  Adams,  a  Christian  patriot  and  statesman,  stood  up 
in  a  town  meeting  held  in  Boston,  and  proposed  a  series  of 
resolves,  instructing  its  representatives  what  course  to  pur-  > 
sue.  "  There  is  no  room  for  delay,"  such  are  his  words  and 
those  of  Boston.  "  Those  unexpected  proceedings  may  be 
preparatory  to  more  extensive  taxation  ;  for  if  our  trade  may 
be  taxed,  why  not  our  lands,  and  everything  we  possess  ? 
If  taxes  are  laid  upon  us  in  any  shape,  without  our  having 
a  legal  representation  where  they  are  laid,  are  we  not  re- 
duced from  the  character  of  free  subjects  to  the  miserable 
state  of  tributary  slaves  ?  This  annihilates  our  charter  right 
to  govern  and  tax  ourselves.  We  claim  British  rights,  not 
by  charter  only  ;  we  are  born  to  them.  Use  your  endeavors 
that  the  weight  of  the  other  North  American  colonies  may 
be  added  to  that  of  this  province,  that  by  united  application 
all  may  happily  obtain  redress."  This  was  Boston's  virtual 
denial  of  the  right  of  the  British  Parliament  to  tax  America.^ 
In  about  the  same  tone  was  written  the  new  letter  of  in- 
structions which  the  General  Court,  in  June,  transmitted  to 
i\Ir.  Mauduit,  its  agent  in  England.    • 

Measures  were  now  taken,  and  a  special  committee  was 
appointed  to  correspond  with  the  other  colonies,  and  to  urge 
upon  them  the  necessity  of  a  union  to  "prevent  a  Stamp 
Act,  or  any  other  impositions  and  taxes,  upon  this  and  the 
other  American  provinces."  ^  These  proceedings  found  no 
favor  with  Bernard  and  Hutchinson.  The  former  suggested 
to  the  English  ministry,  that  a  complete  reformation  of  the 
American  governments  was  needed  to  secure  tranquillity ; 
the  latter,  although  censuring  the  recent  "  madness  "  of  the 
Court,  was  gracious  enough  to  inform  the  ministry  that  it 

>  Bancroft,  v.  197.  *  Hutcliinson,  iii.  110.     Bancroft,  v,  200. 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  241 

was  "  prejudicial  to  the  national  interest  to  impose  Parlia- 
mentaiy  taxes.  The  advantages  promised  by  an  increase 
of  the  revenue  are  all  fallacious  and  delusive.  You  will 
lose  more  than  you  gain.  Britain  already  reaps  the  profit 
of  all  their  trade,  and  of  the  increase  of  their  substance.  By 
cherishing  their  present  turn  of  mind  you  will  serve  your 
interest  more  than  by  your  present  schemes."  ^ 

In  October,  the  House  went  into  a  committee  of  the  whole, 
and  prepared  an  address  to  the  king.  Inasmuch  as  this 
address  was  displeasing  to  the  Council,  an  address  to  the 
House  of  Commons,  prepared  in  a  much  milder  tone,  was 
substituted.  Its  main  purport  was  to  solicit  a  continuance 
of  the  royal  favor,  and  a  withdrawal  of  all  schemes  for  tax- 
ing the  colonies.  Hutchinson,  wavering  between  patriotism 
and  loyalty,  between  devotion  to  his  country  and  servility 
to  the  crown,  now  concluded  to  side  with  the  oppressors. 
Defying  public  opinion,  he  hoped  for  an  elevation  to  the 
highest  office  in  the  province.  Whatever  evil  he  committed 
was  wholly  in  secret.  "  I  desire  to  avoid  publicity,"  he 
wrote  to  a  friend  in  England,  "  and  to  do  nothing  out  of 
character.  .  .  .  Whatever  you  do,  I  hope  you  will  not  let 
it  be  known  that  they  come  from  me !  "  ^ 

Meanwhile  Grenville  was  as  busy  as  ever.  The  addresses 
which  had  been  received  from  Massachusetts,  New  York, 
and  Virginia  had  produced  a  sensation  in  Parliament,  and 
the  ministry  was  resolved  to  urge  its  scheme  of  taxation 
"  upon  the  most  general  and  acknowledged  grounds  of  whig 
policy."  At  the  opening  of  the  session,  the  king  presented 
the  American  question  as  one  of  "  obedience  to  the  laws 
and  respect  fur  the  legislative  authority  of  the  kingdom." 
His  words  were  echoed  by  the  Lords  and  Commons,  who 

•  Bancroft,  v.  208.  *  MS.  Correspond.,  ii.  99. 

31 


242  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

declared  their  intention  to  proceed  "  with  that  temper  and 
firmness  which  will  best  conciliate  and  insure  due  submission 
to  the  laws,  and  reverence  to  the  legislative  authority  of 
Great  Britain."  ^  These  proceedings  flattered  the  feelings 
of  the  minister ;  and  on  the  5th  of  February,  1765,  fifty -five 
resolutions,  embracing  the  details  of  the  Stamp  Act,  were 
proposed  to,  and  finally  carried  by,  an  overwhelming  majority 
of  the  committee  of  ways  and  means.  On  the  27th  the 
Stamp  Act  passed  the  House  of  Commons ;  on  the  8th  of 
March  it  was  agreed  to  by  the  Lords,  "  without  having 
encountered  an  amendment,  debate,  protest,  division,  or 
single  dissentient  vote."  In  this  sad  moment  for  America, 
when  the  crown,  the  ministry,  and  the  crown  officers  in  the 
colonies  were  conspiring  against  her  liberties,  the  king  was 
"  in  great  danger,"  —  he  was  crazed.^  On  the  22d  the  Act 
received  the  royal  assent  by  a  commission,  the  king  himself 
being  too  "  seriously  ill "  to  sign  it.  Thus  the  Stamp  Act 
was  passed  ;  and  Gi-enville,  its  chief  supporter,  paused  and 
reflected  upon  the  next  step  to  be  taken.^ 

When  the  tidings  of  these  proceedings  reached  the  colo- 
nies, great  dissatisfaction  was  expressed.  "  This  system, 
if  it  is  suffered  to  prevail,"  said  Oxenbridge  Thacher,  "  will 
extinguish  the  flame  of  liberty  all  over  the  world."     "It  is 


'  Aikin's  Anns,  of  George  III.,  i.  39.     Bancroft,  v.  229. 

'  Adolphua,  Hist,  of  Eng.,  i.  175. 

'  In  itself,  there  was  nothing  very  bad  about  the  law  called  the  "  Stamp 
Act."  Englishmen  would  not  have  complained  of  it  at  home ;  neither  would 
the  colonists  have  murmured,  if  it  had  not  involved  an  important  principle  — 
the  principle  of  "taxation  without  representation."  The  act  simply  re- 
quired that  all  deeds  and  receipts,  and  otlier  legal  documents,  should  be 
written  or  printed  on  stamped  paper,  and  that  this  paper  should  be  sold  by 
the  tax  collectors,  the  money  going  to  the  government.  Taxes  have  since 
been  imposed  in  a  similar  way  in  America.  The  excitement  about  the  Stamp 
Act  was  virtually  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  243 

the  duty  of  all,"  exclaimed  Otis,  "  humbly  and  silently  to 
acquiesce  in  all  the  decisions  of  the  supreme  legislature. 
Nine  hundred  and  uinetjMiine  in  a  thousand  of  the  colonists 
will  never  once  entertain  a  thought  but  of  submission  to  our 
sovereign,  and  to  the  authority  of  Parliament  in  all  possible 
contingencies."  "  The  Stamp  Act,"  wrote  Hutchinson,  "  is 
received  among  us  with  as  much  decency  as  could  be  exr 
pected.  Hitherto  I  have  endeavored  to  state  the  case  of 
the  colonies  in  the  most  favorable  light,  always  with  sub- 
mission to  the  supreme  authority.  It  is  now  become  my 
dut}'',  as  an  executive  officer,  to  promote  the  execution  of 
the  Act,  and  to  prevent  any  evasion,  and  I  hope  there  will  be 
as  little  room  for  complaint  from  this  as  from  any  colony."  ^ 
On  the  16th  of  June,  Otis  proposed,  and  the  Legislature  of 
Massachusetts  voted,  that  it  was  expedient  that  there  should 
be  a  "  meeting,  as  soon  as  convenient,  of  committees  from 
the  Houses  in  the  several  colonies,  to  consult  together  on 
their  present  circumstances,  and  the  difficulties  to  Avhich 
they  were  and  must  be  reduced  by  the  operation  of  the  late 
acts  of  Parliament."  A  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare 
circular  letters ;  and  the  first  Tuesday  of  October  was  named 
as  the  day  for  the  meeting.  The  tories,  or  royalist  party, 
sneered  ;  and  the  governor  and  Hutchinson  severely  censured 
these  proceedings.  Their  opposition,  however,  proved  of  no 
consequence. 

It  now  became  evident  that  Parliament  was  bent  upon 
enforcing  the  Stamp  Act  to  the  very  extreme.  Already  the 
Mutiny  Act,  with  power  to  billet  troops  on  private  houses, 
had  passed,  and  thus  added  one  grievance  to  another.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  colonists  were  determined  to  thwart  the 
wishes  of  Parliament.     The   alarm   bell   had   sounded,  and 

'  MS.  Corresp.,  ii.  139. 


244  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

"  the  decree  seemed  to  go  forth  that  Boston  should  lead  the 
way  in  the  work  of  compulsion."  ^  "I  am  now  convinced," 
wrote  Hutchinson  again,  "  that  the  people  throughout  the 
colonies  are  impressed  with  an  opinion  that  they  are  no 
longer  considered  by  the  people  of  England  as  their  fellow- 
subjects,  and  entitled  to  English  liberties ;  and  I  expect 
some  tragical  event  in  some  or  other  of  the  colonies,  for  we 
are  not  only  in  a  deplorable  situation  at  present,  but  have 
a  dismal  prospect  before  us  as  the  commencement  of  the 
Act  approaches.  If  there  be  no  execution  of  it,  all  business 
must  cease  ;  and  yet  the  general  view  is,  it  cannot  be  car- 
ried into  execution."  ^ 

A  change  in  the  ministry  again  took  place  in  England,  and 
on  the  8th  of  July,  1765,  William  Pitt  was  once  more  called 
to  office.  But  Pitt  stood  almost  alone.  The  silence  of  New- 
castle and  the  Rockingham  party  had  estranged  him  from 
the  only  section  of  the  whigs  which  could  have  acted  with 
him,  and  the  one  friend  who  remained  to  him,  his  brother- 
in-law.  Lord  Temple,  refused  to  aid  in  an  attempt  to  con- 
struct a  cabinet.  The  king,  therefore,  had  no  resource  but 
to  turn  to  the  Marquis  of  Rockingham  and  the  whig  party 
which  he  headed.  Rockingham  became  minister  in  July. 
When  in  September  the  tidings  reached  America,  great  joy 
was  awakened.  "  If  Astraea  were  not  fled,"  said  Mayhew, 
"  there  might  be  grounds  for  the  hope." 

In  the  previous  month  the  news  had  arrived  that  Pitt 
had  been  restored  to  power ;  and  such  was  the  enthusiam 
of  the  "  Sons  of  I^iberty,"  that  they  resolved  upon  making 
some  demonstration  of  their  feelings.  Andrew  Oliver,  the 
brother-in-law  of  Hutchinson,  had  been  appointed  stamp- 
distributor  for  Massachusetts.     Reasonably  enough,  the  peo» 

'  Gage  to  Conway,  Sept.,  1765.  *  MS.  Corresp.,  ii.  145. 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  245 

pie  cherishetl  for  him  no  very  liigli  esteem,  and  in  the  intense 
madness  of  the  hour,  scrupled  not  to  concert  a  plan  to  hang 
him  in  effigy.  On  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  October,  the 
inhabitants,  who  lived  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town, 
saw,  as  they  passed  to  their  places  of  business,  the  "  ^^gY 
of  Oliver,  tricked  out  with  emblems  of  Bute  and  Grenville," 
suspended  from  the  bough  of  a  stately  elm,  long  known  as 
the  "  Liberty  Tree,"  which  stood  near  what  was  then  the 
entrance  to  the  town.^  Great  was  the  excitement  produced. 
The  tidings  of  the  grotesque  spectacle  spread  like  wildfire 
from  ear  to  ear,  and  thousands  assembled  to  gaze  upon  it. 
At  length  Hutchinson  heard  the  news,  and  as  chief  justice, 
ordered  the  sheriff  to  remove  the  image.  But  the  sheriff 
had  not  the  courage  to  do  so ;  and  the  people  said,  "  We 
will  take  it  down  ourselves  at  evening." 

Evening  came,  and  the  excitement  was  increased.  The 
images  were  taken  down,  and  placed  U{)on  a  bier.  Six  men 
bore  them  through  the  main  street,  and  halted  immediately 
in  front  of  the  Old  State  House.  The  air  was  rent  with  loud 
vociferations.  "  Libertj^  property,  and  no  stamps !  "  were 
the  shouts  which  greeted  the  ears  of  the  governor  as  he  sat 
in  the  council  chamber.  The  crowd  moved  on  into  Kilby 
Street,  and  there  demolished  a  frame  building,  which  it  was 
supposed  had  been  erected  for  a  stamp  office  ;  and  then, 
gathering  together  the  broken  fragments,  they  kindled  a 
bonfire  upon  Fort  Hill,  and  reduced  the  images  to  ashes. 

The  spirit  of  the  people  was  fully  aroused.  "  The  Stamp 
Act  shall  never  be  executed  here,"  said  a  patriotic  townsman. 
*'  We  will  die   on  the  place  first.     We  will  spend  our  last 

'  This  tree  stood  at  the  corner  of  what  is  now  Essex  anil  Washington 
Streets.  The  effiuy  itself  was  prepared  by  the  mechanics  of  Boston.  Drake, 
Ilist.  of  Boston,  G95.     Jolin  Adams,  Works,  ii.  175. 


246  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

blood  in  the  cause."  "  All  the  power  of  Great  Britain 
shall  not  compel  us  to  submit  to  it."  Such  were  the  excla- 
mations of  the  more  courageous.  A  war  with  the  mother 
country  seemed  inevitable  ;  and  Mayhew  wrote,  "  We  have 
sixty  thousand  fighting  men  in  this  colony  alone."  Seized 
with  terror,  Hutchinson  ordered  the  colonel  of  the  militia 
to  sound  an  alarm,  and  the  troops  to  be  mustered.  "  My 
drummers,"  replied  the  officer,  "  are  in  the  mob."  The 
chief  justice  himself  was  forced  to  flee,  while  the  sheriff 
valiantly  covered  his  retreat.  An  hour  before  midnight 
the  multitude  repaired  to  the  governor's  residence,  and,  after 
giving  three  cheers,  dispersed  quietly. 

Early  the  next  morning,  the  governor  and  the  chief  jus- 
tice together  discussed  the  proceeding  of  the  previous  night. 
"  If  Oliver  had  been  found  last  night,"  said  Bernard,  "  he 
would  actually  have  been  murdered."  The  stamp-distribu- 
tor thought  so  himself..  "  We  have  a  dismal  prospect  before 
us,"  remarked  Hutchinson.  The  opinion  generally  prevailed 
that  unless  Oliver  should  resign,  his  house  wculd  be  "  pulled 
down  about  his  ears."  Thus  opposed,  Oliver  profited  by  the 
lesson  of  the  hour,  and  "  gave  it  under  his  own  hand " 
that  he  would  no  longer  serve  as  stamp-officer.  Another 
bonfire  on  Fort  Hill  celebrated  the  people's  victory.  The 
governor  had  already  issued  a  proclamation,  offering  a  re- 
ward for  the  discovery  and  arrest  of  the  offenders.  But  no 
one  seemed  willing  to  act  as  a  spy ;  while  wise  men  reasoned 
that  "  the  prisons  would  not  hold  them  many  hours." 

Not  yet,  however,  w:as  the  voice  of  the  people  spent. 
"  Let  us  hear  frem  Hutchinson,"  said  the  leaders,  "  from 
his  own  mouth,  that  he  is  not  in  favor  of  the  Stamp  Act, 
and  we  will  be  easy."  On  the  26th,  twelve  days  after 
Oliver  had  been  hanged  in  effigy,  another  bonfire  was  kin- 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  247 

died  in  front  of  the  Old  State  House.  A  large  crowd  had 
assembled ;  and  pushing  their  way  into  the  office  of  Mr. 
Stor}-,  the  deputy  registrar,  they, burnt  all  the  records  of 
the  Vice  Admiralty  Court ;  next  they  visited  the  office  of 
the  Comptroller  of  the  Customs,  in  Hanover  Street ;  and 
finally,  the  residence  of  the  hated  Hutchinson.  "  He  is 
a  prerogative  man."  "  He  grasps  at  all  the  important  offi- 
ces in  the  state  ;  he  himself  holds  four,  and  his  relations 
six  or  seven  more."  "  He  had  a  principal  hand  in  pro- 
jecting the  Stamp  Act."  Such  were  some  of  the  reproaches 
which  served  to  infuriate  the  mob.  Hutchinson  foresaw  his 
peril,  but  was  powerless  to  avert  retribution ;  the  crowd 
burst  open  the  doors  of  his  palatial  residence  in  Garden 
Court  Street,  destroyed  his  furniture,  scattered  his  books  and 
plate,  and  at  da^'break  left  his  house  a  ruin.  The  chief 
justice  and  his  family  had  barely  enough  time  to  escape  with 
their  lives. ^ 

On  the  following  da}'  the  governor  suminoned  his  Coun- 
cil to  a  meeting  ;  but  before  this  body  met,  the  sober-minded 
inhabitants  of  Boston,  having  assembled  in  Faneuil  Hall, 
declared  their  "  detestation  of  these  violent  proceedings," 
and  pledged  themselves  to  "  suppress  the  like  disorders  for 
the  future."  Notwithstanding  these  resolutions,  the  whole 
continent  applauded  the  proceedings  of  the  lith  of  August ; 
and  all  the  officers  of  the  crown  were  terror-stricken.  In 
the  midst  of  these  disturbances,  the  news  came  that  the 
Rockingham  whigs  had  been  elevated  to  power ;  and  the  hope 
was  expressed  that  the  Stamp  Act  would  now  be  repealed. 
At  nearly  the  same  time,  the  startling  news  reached  Pai*- 
liament  from  America,  that  Congress  had  resolved  on  resist- 
ance, and  its  resolution  had  been  followed  by  action. 

'  Hutchinson,  MS.  Corrcsp.,  ii.  U6. 


248  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

On  tlie  25th  of  September  the  General  Court  convened. 
The  governor,  after  alluding  to  the  late  proceedings  in 
deprecating  terms,  said,  "  The  right  of  the  Parliament  of 
Great  Britain  to  make  laws  for  the  American  colonies,  how- 
ever it  has  been  controverted  in  America,  remains  indispu- 
table at  Westminster.  Is  it  in  the  will,  or  in  the  power,  or 
for  the  interest  of  this  province,  to  oppose  snch  authority  ? 
If  snch  opposition  should  be  made,  may  it  not  bring  on  a 
contest,  which  may  prove  the  most  detrimental  and  ruinous 
event  which  could  happen  to  this  people  ?  "  The  governor 
concluded,  saying,  "  I  would  not  willingly  aggravate  the 
dangers  which  are  before  you,  I  do  not  think  it  very  easy 
to  do  it ;  this  province  seems  to  me  to  be  on  the  brink  of 
a  precipice ;  it  depends  upon  you  to  prevent  its  falling. 
From  this  time,  this  arduous  business  of  executing  the 
Stamp  Act  will  be  put  into  your  hands,  and  it  will  become 
a  provincial  concern."  The  governor  advised  them  to  ac- 
quaint themselves  with  the  exigencies  of  the  times ;  and  for 
this  purpose  he  proposed  to  give  them  a  recess.  The  House, 
however,  would  ask  for  no  recess  ;  and  the  governor,  there- 
fore, on  the  27th,  adjourned  the  Court  to  the  last  week  in 
October. 

"  There  is  a  snake  in  the  grass,"  said  the  people  of  Bos- 
ton ;  "  touch  not  the  unclean  thing."  And  about  the  same 
time  John  Adams,  of  Braintree,  declared  through  the 
medium  of  the  press,  "  There  seems  to  be  a  direct  and 
formal  design  on  foot  in  Great  Britain  to  enslave  all  Amer- 
ica. Be  it  remembered,  liberty  must  at  all  hazards  be  de- 
fended. Rulers  are  no  more  than  attorne3^s,  agents,  and 
trustees  for  the  people  ;  and  if  the  trust  is  insidiousl}^  be- 
trayed, or  wantonly  trifled  awa}'-,  the  people  have  a  right  to 
revoke  the  authority  that  they  themselves  have  deputed,  and 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  249 

to  constitute  ubler  and  better  agents.  We  have  an  indis- 
putable riglit  to  demand  our  privileges  against  all  the  power 
and  authority  on  earth."  ^  On  the  24th  of  September,  his 
native  town  passed  a  series  of  resolves,  whose  spirit  rang 
through  the  whole  province.  At  least  forty  towns  adopted 
them,  in  substance,  before  the  month  had  closed.  Boston 
had  already  spoken  its  abhorrence  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and 
elected  Samuel  Adams  as  its  representative  in  the  place 
made  vacant  by  the  death  of  Thacher.  When  in  October, 
the  Court  met  after  its  adjournment,  a  series  of  resolves, 
fourteen  in ^  number,  was  passed,  and  was  ordered  "to  be 
kept  in  the  records  of  this  House,  that  a  just  sense  of  liberty 
and  the  firm  sentiments  of  loyalty  may  be  transmitted  to 
posterity."  ^ 

In  the  early  part  of  the  month  a  congress  of  delegates 
from  the  different  provinces  assembled  in  New  York.  The 
brave  Gadsden  was  there  from  South  Carolina,  and  Rut- 
ledge,  his  eloquent  constituent.  There  also  were  the  rep- 
resentatives from  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  and  Massachusetts.  On  the  7th,  resolutions 
"  based  on  the  inalienable  rights  of  man,"  were  passed,  and 
an  address  to  the  king,  a  memorial  to  the  House  of  Lords, 
and  a  petition  to  the  House  of  Commons,  were  draughted 
and  signed.  While  claiming  an  exemption  from  all  taxes, 
except  such  as  were  imposed  by  the  several  colonial  legis- 
latures, the  memorialists  affirmed  that  they  "  esteemed  their 
connection  with,  and  dependence  on  Great  Britain,  as  one 
of  their  greatest  blessings,  and  apprehended  the  latter  would 
appear  to  be  sufficiently  secure  when  it  was  considered  that 
the  inhabitants  in  the  colonies  had  the  most  unbounded 
affection  for  his  Majesty's  person,  family,  and  government,  as 

'  Bancroft,  v.  325.  *  Mass.  Gazette,  for  Oct.  31  and  ^'ov.  14,  17Gj. 


250  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

well  as  for  the  mother  country,  and  that  their  subordina- 
tion to  Parliament  was  universally  acknowledged."  ^ 

Meanwhile  the  British  ministry  had  heard  of  the  "  riots  " 
in  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere  ;  and  on  the  24th  of  Octo- 
ber had  sent  orders  to  the  American  governors,  and  to  Gen- 
eral Gage,  to  use  "  the  utmost  prudence  and  lenity."  On 
the  1st  of  November,  the  church  bells  in  Boston  tolled  the 
knell  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and  every  man  was  determined  to 
prevent  its  enforcement.  Grenville  was  hung  in  effigy  upon 
the  Liberty  Tree  in  the  early  morning.  The  utmost  har- 
mony and  good  feeling,  however,  prevailed.  On  the  17th  of 
December,  Oliver  formally  resigned  his  office  as  distributor 
of  stamps  ;  and  on  the  following  day,  at  a  town  meeting 
held  in  Boston,  two  hundred  of  the  principal  merchants 
agreed  to  import  no  more  goods  from  England  unless  the 
Stamp  Act  should  be  repealed,  and  countermanded  the  orders 
already  sent  abroad.  Thus  closed  the  year  1765,  —  a  year 
which,  wrote  John  Adams,  "  brings  ruin  or  salvation  to  the 
British  colonies.  The  eyes  of  all  America  are  fixed  on  the 
British  Parliament.  In  short,  Britain  and  America  are 
staring  at  each  other  ;  and  they  will  probably  stare  more  and 
more  for  some  time."  ^ 

But  already  the  question  of  repeal  was  being  debated  in 
England.  Grenville  had  been  summoned  to  St.  James'  to 
surrender  the  seals  of  his  office  ;  and  out  of  the  remnants 
of  the  old  whig  aristocracy  and  their  successors  a  new  ad- 
ministration had  been  formed.  In  place  of  Grenville,  the 
Marquis  of  Rockingham  now  stood  at  the  head  of  the 
treasury  ;  the  Duke  of  Grafton  controlled  the  seals  of  the 
northern  department  of  state,  while  those  of  the  southern 
department  were  conferred  on  General  Conway,  a  man  who 

»  Barry,  ii.  305.  «  Works,  ii.  170. 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  251 

was  so  "  fond  of  doing  right,  that  the  time  for  doing  it 
passed  before  lie  could  settle  what  it  Avas."  The  young 
Earl  of  Dartmouth,  distinguished  only  for  his  piety,  became 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  On  the  14th  of  January 
Parliament  reassembled,  and  was  informed  by  the  king  that 
"  matters  of  importance  had  happened  in  America,  and  orders 
been  issued  for  the  support  of  lawful  authority."  The  Lords 
agreed  to  "  assert  and  support  the  king's  dignity ; "  but 
several  of  the  Commons  were  very  tender  in  their  expres- 
sions respecting  America.  While  the  most  memorable  debate 
in  the  annals  of  England  was  in  progress,  William  Pitt  un- 
expectedly entered  the  Plouse  of  Commons.  Mr.  Nugent 
(Lord  Clare)  had  delivered  his  address  in  favor  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  and  Edmund  Burke  had  followed  with  his  maiden 
speech. 1  Then  Pitt  arose,  and  whilst  all  eyes  were  directed 
towards  his  venerable  aspect,  he  began  one  of  those  bril- 
liant harangues  which  distinguished  him  as  the  most  pow- 
erful orator  of  his  day. 

He  api3roved  the  address  in  answer  to  the  king's  speech  ; 
he  condemned  "  every  capital  measure  "  of  the  late  minis- 
try ;  he  refused  his  confidence  to  the  present  administration. 
He  then  continued  :  "  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  have  at- 
tended in  ParHament.  When  the  resolution  was  taken  in 
the  House  to  tax  America,  I  was  ill  in  bed.  If  I  could 
have  endured  to  have  been  carried  in  my  bed,  so  great  was 
the  agitation  of  my  mind  for  the  consequences,  I  would  have 
solicited  some  kind  hand  to  have  laid  me  on  this  floor,  to 
have  borne  my  testimony  against  it.  It  is  now  an  act  that 
has  passed.  I  would  speak  with  decency  of  every  act  of 
this  House  ;  but  I  must  beg  the  indulgence  of  the  House  to 

'  Lord  Mahon,  Hist,  of  Eni?.,  v.  130.     Bancroft  says  that  Burke's  maiden 

speech  was  not  delivered  until  a  later  d;iy. 


252  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

speak  of  it  Avitli  freedom.  As  I  cannot  depend  upon  liealth 
for  any  future  da}^  such  is  the  nature  of  my  infirmities,  I 
will  Leg  to  sa}^  a  few  words  at  present,  leaving  the  jus- 
tice, the  equity,  the  policy,  the  expediency  of  the  Act  to 
another  time.  Some  gentlemen  "  —  alluding  to  Mr.  Nugent 
— "  seem  to  have  considered  it  as  a  point  of  honor.  If 
gentlemen  consider  it  in  that  light,  they  leave  all  measures 
of  right  and  wrong,  to  follow  a  delusion  that  may  lead  to 
destruction.  It  is  m}^  opinion  that  this  kingdom  has  no 
right  to  lay  a  tax  upon  the  colonies  —  to  be  sovereign  and 
supreme  in  every  circumstance  of  government  and  legisla- 
tion whatsoever.  They  are  the  subjects  of  this  kingdom, 
equally  entitled  with  yourselves  to  all  the  natural  rights  of 
mankind  and  the  peculiar  privileges  of  Englishmen,  equally 
bound  by  its  laws,  and  equally  participating  of  the  consti- 
tution of  this  free  country. 

"  The  Americans  are  the  sons,  not  the  bastards,  of  Eng- 
land. Taxation  is  no  part  of  the  governing  or  legislative 
power.  The  taxes  are  a  voluntary  gift  and  grant  of  the 
Commons  alone.  There  is  an  idea  in  some  that  the  colonies 
are  virtually  rej)resented  in  this  House.  I  would  fain  know 
by  whom  an  American  is  represented  here.  Is  he  repre- 
sented by  any  knight  of  the  shire  in  any  county  in  this 
kingdom  ?  Would  to  God  that  respectable  representation 
was  augmented  to  a  greater  number.  Or,  will  you  tell  him 
that  he  is  represented  by  any  representative  of  a  borough 
• —  a  borough  which,  perhaps,  no  man  ever  saw  ?  This  is 
what  is  called  the  rotten  part  of  the  constitution.  It  can- 
not continue  a  century.  If  it  does  not  drop,  it  must  be 
amputated.  The  idea  of  a  virtual  representation  of  Amer- 
ica in  this  House  is  the  most    contemptible  idea  that   ever 


THE  STAMP  ACT.  253 

entered  into  the  head  of  man.     It  does  not  deserve  a  seri- 
ous refutation." 

General  Conway  concurred  fully  with  the  views  of  Pitt. 
Then  Grenville  arose.  "  When  I  proposed  to  tax  Amer- 
ica," said  he,  "I  asked  the  IIou;.e  if  any  gentleman  would 
object  to  the  right.  I  repeatedly  asked  it,  and  no  man 
would  attempt  to  deny  it.  Protection  and  obedience  are 
reciprocal.  Great  Britain  protects  America ;  America  is 
bound  to  yield  obedience.  If  not,  tell  me  when  these  Amer- 
icans were  emancipated.  When  they  want  the  protection 
of  this  kingdom,  they  are  always  very  ready  to  ask  it. 
That  protection  has  always  been  afforded  them  in  the  most 
full  and  ample  manner.  The  nation  has  run  itself  into  an 
immense  debt  to  give  them  their  protection  ;  and  now  they 
are  called  upon  to  contribute  a  small  share  towards  the  pub- 
lic expense,  an  expense  arising  from  themselves,  they  re- 
nounce your  authority,  insult  your  officers,  and  break  out, 
I  might  almost  say,  into  open  rebellion." 

"  The  gentleman  tells  us,"  exclaimed  Pitt,  by  the  indul- 
gence of  the  House,  "  America  is  obstinate,  America  is 
almost  in  open  rebellion.  I  rejoice  that  America  has  resisted. 
Three  millions  of  people,  so  dead  to  all  tlie  feelings  of 
liberty  as  voluntarily  to  submit  to  be  skives,  would  have 
been  fit  instruments  to  make  slaves  of  the  rest.  With 
the  enemy  at  their  back,  with  our  bayonets  at  their 
breasts,  in  the  day  of  their  distress,  perhaps  the  Amer- 
icans would  have  submitted  to  the  imposition  ;  but  it  would 
have  been  taking  an  ungenerous  and  unjust  advantage.  I 
am  no  courtier  of  America  ;  I  stand  up  for  this  kingdom. 
I  maintain  that  the  Parliament  has  a  right  to  bind,  to  re- 
strain, America.  Our  legislative  power  over  the  colonies  is 
sovereign  and  supreme.     When  it  ceases  to  be  sovereign  and 


254  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

supreme,  I  would  advise  every  gentleman  to  sell  his  lands, 
if  he  can,  and  embark  for  that  country.  When  two  coun- 
tries are  connected  tegether,  like  England  and  her  colonies, 
without  being  incorporated,  the  one  must  necessarily  gov- 
ern ;  the  greater  must  rule  the  less  ;  but  so  rule  it  as  not 
to  contradict  the  fundamental  principles  that  are  common 
to  both. 

"  Upon  the  whole,  I  will  beg  leave  to  tell  the  House 
what  is  really  my  opinion.  It  is,  that  the  Stamp  Act  be 
repealed  —  absolutely,  totally,  and  immediately ;  that  the 
reason  for  the  repeal  be  assigned  —  because  it  was  found- 
ed on  an  erroneous  principle.  At  the  same  time,  let  the 
sovereign  authority  of  this  country  over  the  colonies  be 
asserted  in  as  strong  terms  as  can  be  assigned,  and  be  made 
to  extend  to  every  point  of  legislation  whatsoever,  —  that 
we  may  bind  their  trade,  confine  their  manufactures,  and 
exercise  every  power  whatsoever  except  that  of  taking  their 
money  out  of  their  pockets  without  their  consent." 

Thus  closed  the  debate,  and  the  flaming  words  of  Pitt 
fixed  at  once  the  minds  of  the  wavering.  In  the  latter  part 
of  the  month  the  House  resolved  itself  into  a  committee  of 
the  whole.  Before  this  committee  Benjamin  Franklin  ap- 
peared ;  and  his  examination  was  creditable  alike  to  his 
talent  and  his  character.  "  The  American  people,"  said  he, 
"  will  never  submit  to  this  Act,  unless  compelled  by  force 
of  arms.  Before  this  Act  passed,  the  temper  of  that  people 
towards  Great  Britain  was  the  best  in  the  world.  They 
submitted  willingly  to  the  government  of  the  crown,  and 
paid  in  their  courts  obedience  to  the  acts  of  Parliament. 
Natives  of  Britain  were  always  treated  with  particular  re- 
gard. To  be  an  Old  England  man  was  of  itself  a  character 
of  respect,  and  gave  a  kind  of  rank  among  us.     If  the  Act 


THE  STAMP   ACT.  255 

is  not  repealed,  I  foresee  a  total  loss  of  the  respect  and 
affection  the  peoi)le  of  America  bear  to  this  country,  and  of 
all  the  commerce  that  depends  on  that  respect  and  affec- 
tion. People  will  pay  as  freely  to  gratify  one  passion  as 
another,  —  their  resentment  as  their  pride.  They  will  pay 
uo  internal  tax,  but  rec^uisitions  may  be  granted  on  appli- 
cation in  the  usual  form.  They  will  never  repeal  the  res- 
olutions which  have  been  passed  in  their  assemblies,  and 
acknowledge  the  right  of  Parliament  to  lay  internal  taxes. 
No  power,  how  great  soever,  can  force  them  to  change  their 
opinions.  And  whereas  it  was  once  the  pride  of  the  peo- 
ple of  America  to  indulge  in  the  fashions  and  manufactures 
of  Great  Britain,  it  is  now  their  pride  to  wear  their  old 
clothes  over  again,  until  they  can  make  new  ones."  ^ 

At  half  past  one  on  the  morning  of  the  22d  of  February, 
after  a  long  and  stormy  debate,  a  division  of  opinion  took 
place  in  the  House  of  Commons.  In  the  course  of  the  de- 
bate. General  Conway  had  moved  leave  to  bring  in  a  bill 
for  the  repeal  of  the  American  Stamp  Act,  on  the  grounds 
that  it  was  proving  injurious  as  much  to  the  kingdom  as  to 
the  colonies.     Conway's  motion  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  two 

'  Bigelow,  Life  of  Franklin,  i.  4G7-510  where  may  be  found  the  entire  ex- 
amination, copied  from  the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Commons.  "  From  this 
examination  of  Dr.  Franklin,  the  reader  may  form  a  clearer  and  more  com- 
prehensive idea  of  tiie  state  and  disposition  of  America,  of  the  expediency  or 
inexpedit^ncy  of  tlie  measure  in  question,  and  of  the  cliaractor  and  conduct 
of  the  minister  who  proposed  it,  than  from  all  tiiat  has  been  written  upon  the 
subject  in  newspapers  and  pamphlets,  under  the  titles  of  essays,  letters, 
speeches,  and  considerations,  from  the  first  moment  of  its  becoming  the 
object  of  public  attention  till  now.  The  questions  in  general  are  put  with 
great  subtilty  and  judgment,  and  they  are  answered  with  such  deep  and 
familiar  knowledge  of  the  subject,  such  precision  and  perspicuity,  such  tem- 
per, and  yet  such  spirit,  as  do  the  greatest  honor  to  Dr.  Franklin,  and  justify 
the  general  opinion  of  his  ciiaracter  and  abilities."  —  Gentleman's  Mag.,  July, 
17G7.     Franklin  was  in  England,  at  this  time,  as  the  agent  of  rennsylvania. 


256  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

hundred  and  seventy-five   against   one  hundred   and   sixty- 
seven. 

The  roof  of  St.  Stephen's  rung  with  the  loud  applause  of 
the  victorious  majority.  The  pure-minded  Conway  enjoyed 
a  triumph.  When  Pitt  stepped  forth  from  the  House,  he 
was  greeted  by  a  large  crowd,  who,  with  uncovered  heads, 
followed  him  homeward.  Only  hisses  were  showered  upon 
Grenville,  who  swelled  with  rage  and  mortification.  On  the 
4th  of  March,  at  midnight,  the  question  was  disposed  of  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
against  one  hundred  and  twenty-two ;  and  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  thirteen  days  later,  it  was  carried  by  a  majority  of 
thirty-four.  On  the  18th  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  was 
sanctioned  by  the  king.  To  their  honor,  let  it  be  said,  the 
people  of  England  entered  fully  into  the  spirit  of  the  occa- 
sion. Grenville  was  defeated,  and  freedom  had  triumphed. 
"  I  rejoice,"  said  Robertson,  the  illusti'ious  historian,  "from 
my  love  of  the  human  species,  that  a  million  of  men  in  Amer- 
ica have  some  chance  of  running  the  same  great  career  which 
other  free  people  have  held  before  them.  I  do  not  appre- 
hend revolution  or  independence  sooner  than  these  must  and 
should  come."  ^ 

'  History  of  America. 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN   THE  PROVINCE.      2ol 


CHAPTER    XII. 

MILITARY   DESPOTISM   IN   THE   PROVINCE. 

The  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  "  liushed  into  silence  almost 
eveiy  popular  clamor,  and  composed  every  wave  of  popular 
disorder  into  a  smooth  and  peaceful  calm."  ^  A  special 
day  was  appointed  for  the  rejoicings  of  the  people  of  Massa- 
chusetts. In  Boston,  Liberty  Tree  was  the  centre  of  attrac- 
tion, and  thither  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  the  19th 
of  May  a  vast  multitude  was  summoned  by  the  ringing  of 
bells  and  the  booming  of  cannon.  In  the  evening  the  town 
was  illuminated,  and  images  of  the  king,  of  Pitt,  of  Cam- 
den, and  of  Barr<5  were  exhibited  in  the  houses. 

Meanwhile  affairs  in  the  mother  country  were  in  an  unset- 
tled condition,  and  various  adverse  circumstances  necessitated 
a  change  in  the  ministry.  In  July,  the  Alarquis  of  Rocking- 
ham having  proven  his  unfitness  for  office,  an  invitation  was 
again  extended  to  Pitt  to  return  to  the  cabinet.  The  latter 
accepted  the  invitation.  Pitt  became  chief  minister,  the  Duke 
of  Grafton  the  head  of  the  treasury,  Charles  Townshend  was 
appointed  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  and  General  Con- 
way was  continued  secretary  of  state,  with  the  Earl  of  Shel- 
burne  as  his  colleague.  "  If  ever  a  cabinet,"  wrote  Durand 
to  Choiseul,  "  can  hope  for  the  rare  privilege  of  unanimity, 
it  is  this,  in  which  Pitt  will  see  none  but  persons  whose  im- 
agination he  has  subjugated,  whose  premature  advaucement 

'  J.  Adams,  in  Works,  ii.  203. 

33 


258  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

is  due  to  his  choice,  whose  expectations  of  permanent  fortune 
rest  on  him  alone."  ^  Shortly  afterwards  the  "  Great  Com- 
moner "  signified  a  desire  to  be  raised  to  the  peerage  ;  the 
king,  in  compliance,  created  him  Earl  of  Chatham,  and  from 
this  period  his  influence  at  court  began  to  wane,  and  his  name 
to  be  less  respected  abroad.  For  a  while  his  acceptance  of 
the  earldom  of  Chatham  ruined  the  confidence  which  his 
reputation  for  unselfishness  had  aided  him  to  win.  But  it 
was  from  no  vulgar  ambition  that  Pitt  laid  down  his  title 
of  the  Great  Commoner.  It  was  the  consciousness  of  failing 
strength  which  made  him  dread  the  storms  of  debate ;  and 
in  a  few  short  months  the  dread  became  a  certainty.  A 
painful  and  overwhelming  illness,  the  result  of  nervous  dis- 
organization, withdrew  him  from  public  affairs ;  and  his  with- 
drawal robbed  his  colleagues  of  all  vigor  or  union. 

Notwithstanding  that  "  every  newspaper  and  pamphlet, 
every  public  and  private  letter,  which  arrived  in  America 
from  England,  seemed  to  breathe  a  spirit  of  benevolence, 
tenderness,  and  generosity,"  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
continued  to  suspect  the  selfish  intentions  of  the  king.^  The 
Stamp  Act  had  been  repealed  ;  but  the  oppressive  laws  of 
trade  still  remained  in  force.  In  December,  1766,  the  Gen- 
eral Court  appointed  committees  to  "  consider  the  difficulties 
which  embarrassed  the  commerce  of  the  country,  and  to  pro- 
pose measures  for  remedying  these  evils." 

Still  another  storm  was  brewing  in  England.  Everybody 
was  thirsting  for  office,  and  patriotism  was  being  merged  in 
selfishness.  Pitt  had  been  forced  by  illness  to  withdraw  from 
his  post ;  the  cabinet  was  divided,  and  a  deadly  jealousy  was 
kindled.  "Such  a  state  of  affairs,"  wrote  Chesterfield, 
*'  was  never  seen  before,  in  this  or  in  any  other  country." 

'  Bancroft,  vi.  22.  -  Adams,  in  Works,  ii.  203. 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN  THE  PROVINCE.      259 

"  Never,"  said  Lord  Cliarlemont,  "  was  known  such  dis- 
union, such  a  want  of  concert,  as  visibly  appears  on  both 
sides."  Townshend  assumed  great  importance,  and  in  the 
House  of  Commons  dechared  that  "  the  government  had 
become  what  he  himself  had  been  often  called  —  a  weather- 
cock."' In  January,  1767,  he  promised  soon  to  find  means 
for  raising  a  revenue  from  America.  "  I  am  still,"  he  said, 
"  a  firm  advocate  for  the  Stamp  Act,  for  its  principle,  and 
for  the  dut}'.  I  laugh  at  the  distinction  between  internal 
and  external  taxes.  I  know  no  such  distinction.  It  is  per- 
fect nonsense."  In  concluding  his  address,  he  exclaimed, 
"  England  is  undone,  if  this  taxation  in  America  is  given 
up."  Even  Camden,  w-ho  had  hitherto  maintained  that 
taxation  and  representation  are  inseparable,  affirmed  that 
his  "  doubt  respecting  the  right  of  Parliament  to  tax  Amer- 
ica was  removed  by  the  declaration  of  Parliament  itself,  and 
that  its  authority  must  be  maintained."  ^ 

These  and  other  proceedings  confirmed  to  the  people  of 
America  the  justice  of  their  cause.  The  Earl  of  Shelburne, 
however,  as  secretary  for  the  southern  department,  assured 
the  people  they  "  might  be  perfectly  easy  about  the  enjoy- 
ment of  their  rights  and  privileges  under  the  present  admin- 
istration ; "  and  at  once  began  to  consider  the  American 
question,  and  to  prepare  for  its  solution.  Shelburne  was  an 
honest  and  well-meaning  statesman,  and  the  schemes  which 
he  proposed  might  have  allayed  the  excitement  in  the  colo- 
nies had  his  colleagues  approved  of  them.  It  was  plain  to 
see  that  he  was  more  a  "  friend "  to  America  than  his 
associates  wished  him  to  be  ;  and  as  such  they  watched  him. 
About  this  time,  Choiseul,  the  minister  of  Fi-ance  at  the 
court  of  St.  James,  was  secretly  investigating  the  condition 

'  Chatham  Corrcsp..  iii.  13G-18j.     Mahon,  Hist,  of  Eng.,  v.  180. 


260  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

of  the  colonies.  By  his  orders,  De  Kalb,  an  officer  of  Ger- 
man extraction,  came  to  America  to  discover  whether  there 
was  any  prospect  of  a  revolt.  He  found,  however,  that 
nothing  of  the  sort  was  as  yet  premeditated.^ 

Townshend  had  said  that  he  would  find  means  for  raising 
a  revenue  from  America ;  and  Grenville  now  proposed  that 
he  should  fulfil  his  pledge.  Accordingly  in  i\Iay,  17G7,  the 
chancellor  came  forward  with  his  scheme,  and  proposed  a 
tax  on  glass,  paper,  painters'  colors,  and  tea,  to  be  paid  as 
impost  duties.  Wise  men  foretold  the  evils  that  would  re- 
sult from  the  enforcement  of  such  a  bill.  But  in  vain.  On 
the  29th  of  June  the  Revenue  Bill  passed  both  Houses,  and 
was  signed  by  the  king.  "  It  had  ever  been  uniformly 
acknowledged,"  says  a  writer,  "  that  Great  Britain  possessed 
the  right  of  commercial  regulation  and  control ;  it  could  not 
be  denied  that  port  duties  had  been  at  former  periods  im- 
I)Osed  for  the  purpose  of  commercial  regulation.  It  could 
not  be  pretended,  v/ith  consistency  and  plausibility,  that  the 
same  power  did  not  now  inhere  in  the  British  Parliament ; 
but  it  was  at  the  same  time  impossible  not  to  discern  that 
this  power  was,  in  the  present  instance,  exercised  with  a  very 
different  intention,  and  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  very 
different  object ;  and  that  by  a  species  of  artifice  unworthy 
of  a  great  nation,  an  attempt  was  now  made  to  inveigle  them 
into  the  payment  of  that  revenue  which  could  not  be  ex- 
torted by  means  more  direct  and  unequivocal."  ^  The 
opinion  was  general,  particularly  in  America,  that  Town- 
shend's  scheme  of  taxation  was  more  subversive  of  the  rights 
of  the  colonies  than  was  the  Stamp  Act. 

"  The  die  is  thrown,  —  the   Rubicon  is  passed,"  exclaimed 
the  people  of  Massachusetts,  when  the  news  reached  Boston. 

'  Kapp,  Leben  des  Johann  Kalb.  '  Belsham,  George  III.,  i.  204. 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN   THE  PROVINCE.      261 

"  Our  strength  consists  in  union,"  wrote  Muuduit.  "  Let 
us,  above  all,  be  of  one  heart  and  of  one  mind.  Let  us  call 
on  our  sister  colonies  to  join  with  us  in  asserting  our  rights. 
If  our  opposition  to  slavery  is  called  rebellion,  let  us  pursue 
duty  with  firmness,  and  leave  the  event  to  Heaven."  Whilst 
the  late  proceedings  were  being  thus  abhorred,  Townshend 
died,  and  in  September,  Lord  North,  the  eldest  son  of  the 
Earl  of  Guilford,  was  appointed  to  his  place. 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  the  ministry  was  preparing 
to  enforce  the  new  Act ;  and  erelong,  letters  arrived  from 
the  friends  of  American  libertj''  in  Europe,  stating  that  it 
was  the  intention  of  the  administration  to  cause  the  authors 
of  the  riots  and  the  writers  of  "  seditious  pieces,"  to  be 
arrested  and  sent  to  England,  to  be  tried  for  high  treason. 
Popular  fury  was  again  inflamed.  The  public  prints  of  the 
day  teemed  with  essays  written  in  the  boldest  language,  but 
all  of  them  breathing  the  same  spirit,  and  tending  to  rouse 
the  indignation  of  Americans  at  the  measures  of  the  British 
cabinet.  "  We  Americans  have  a  righteous  cause,"  wrote 
Josiah  Quincy,  Junior.  "  We  know  it.  The  power  of  Great 
Britain  may  oppress,  nay,  for  a  time  apparently  subdue  us. 
But,  before  all  the  freeborn  sons  of  the  north  will  yield  a 
general  and  united  submission  to  any  tyrannic  power  on 
earth,  fire  and  sword,  famine  and  slaughter,  desolation  and 
ruin,  will  ravage  the  land."  ^ 

At  length  the  crisis  arrived.  On  the  28th  of  October  the 
inhabitants  of  Boston,  in  town  meeting  assembled,  voted  to 
dispense  with  a  large  number  of  articles  of  British  manufac- 
ture. The  majority  of  the  other  towns  in  the  province  like- 
wise subscribed  to  these  resolves.  In  December  the  last 
change  in  the  British  ministry  took  place.     A  new  depart- 

'  J.  Quincy,  Mem.  of  J.  Quincy,  Jr.,  12. 


262  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ment,  having  the  charge  of  the  colonies,  was  created,  and 
Lord  Hillsborough  was  made  its  secretary.     No  other  change " 
of  any  importance  was  made  ;  and  the  members  of  the  min- 
istry were  almost  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the  authority 
of  Parliament  must  be  maintained  in  the  colonies. 

Hillsborough  was  no  friend  to  America,  and  early  gave  a 
proof  of  his  hostility.  To  Hutchinson  he  granted  a  pension 
of  two  hundred  pounds,  "to  be  paid  annually  by  the  com- 
missioners of  customs."  "  If  such  acts  are  continued,"  said 
the  Bostonians,  "  we  shall  be  obliged  to  maintain  in  luxury 
sycophants,  court  parasites,  and  hungry  dependents,  who  will 
be  sent  over  to  watch  and  oppress  those  who  oppose  them. 
The  governors  will  be  men  rewarded  for  despicable  services, 
hackneyed  in  deceit  and  avarice,  or  some  noble  scoundrel  who 
has  spent  his  fortune  in  every  kind  of  debauchery."  ^  At 
this  juncture  Samuel  Adams  drew  up  a  remonstrance  against 
the  Revenue  Act,  to  be  sent  by  the  province  to  England. 
"  Seven  times  this  letter  was  revised ;  every  word  was 
weighed,  every  sentence  considered,  each  seeminglj^  harsh 
sentence  was  tempered  and  refined."  The  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives sanctioned  this  document,  and  copies  of  it  were 
sent  to  each  of  the  ministers. 

At  such  a  time  the  governor  was  not  in  sympathy  Avith 
the  people  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  former  was  constantly  fur- 
nishing grounds  for  fresh  accusations.  On  the  4th  of  March 
he  dared  to  reprove  the  legislature ;  and  of  some  of  the  mem- 
bers he  spoke  in  terms  of  the  bitterest  contempt.  "  These 
are  the  men,"  said  he,  "  to  whose  importance  everlasting 
contention  is  necessary.  Time  and  experience  will  soon  pull 
the  mask  off  these  false  patriots,  who  are  sacrificing  their 
country  to  the  gratification  of  their  own  passions."     Mean- 

>  Bancroft,  vi.  117. 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN   THE  PROVINCE.       263 

while  the  Massachusetts  circular  had  reached  England,  and 
was  at  once  denounced  as  of  a  "  most  dangerous  and  factious 
tendency,  calculated  to  inflame  the  minds  of  his  Majesty's 
good  subjects  in  the  colonies."  About  the  same  time  private 
letters  were  passing  between  Hillsborough  and  Bernard,  the 
governor.  The  latter  wished  to  become  an  informer  against 
the  province,  under  a  pledge  of  secrecy.  Hutchinson  united 
with  him  in  defaming  the  public  honor.  "It  only  needs," 
he  wrote,  "  one  steady  plan  pursued  a  little  while,  and 
success  is  sure."  The  British  secretary  of  state  was  pleased 
by  such  suggestions,  and  signified  his  readiness  to  comply, 
by  ordering  a  regiment  to  Boston,  to  be  permanently  quar- 
tered there,  and  by  directing  the  admiralty  to  send  one 
frigate  and  four  smaller  vessels  to  be  stationed  in  Boston 
harbor. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  17G8  the  commander  of  the  "  Rom- 
ney  "  British  man-of-war  anchored  off  in  the  channel,  under 
the  pretence  that  he  was  in  want  of  men,  ventured  to  im- 
press a  number  of  seamen  belonging  to  New  England.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  secure  the  release  of  the  seamen  by 
offering  substitutes.  But  the  captain  refused  to  listen  to 
any  such  proposition,  and  declared,  "  Xo  man  sliall  go  out 
of  this  vessel.  The  town  is  a  blaclcguard  town  —  ruled  by 
mobs.  They  have  begun  with  me  by  rescuing  a  man  whom 
I  pressed  this  morning  ;  and  by  the  eternal  God,  I  will  make 
their  hearts  ache  before  I  leave  it."  On  the  same  day, — 
the  10th  of  June,  —  at  about  sunset,  the  sloop  "  Liberty," 
belonging  to  John  Hancock,  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  tlie 
Boston  patriots,  was  seized  for  an  alleged  false  entry,  and 
preparations  were  being  made  to  remove  her  alongside  of 
the  Romne3\  Malcom,  a  trader,  advised  the  revenue  officers 
to  permit  the  vessel  to  lie  at  the  wharf;  but  Hallowell,  the 


264  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

comptroller,  replied,  "I  shall  not,"  and  immediately  gave 
orders  to  cut  the  fasts.  "  Stop  till  the  owner  comes,"  shouted 
the  crowd.  "  I'll  split  the  brains  of  any  man  that  offers  to 
reeve  a  fast,  or  stop  the  vessel !  "  exclaimed  the  master  of 
the  Romney ;  and  then,  turning  to  the  marines,  he  com- 
manded them  to  fire.  The  latter,  however,  dared  not  fire. 
The  people  were  exasperated  by  such  conduct.  Hancock, 
Warren,  and  Samuel  Adams  met,  and  questioned  what  should 
be  done ;  and  an  hour  before  midnight  went  forth  the 
order — "Each  man  to  his  tent." 

On  the  1-ith  the  "  Sons  of  Liberty "  assembled  in  the 
space  around  Libert}'-  Tree,  and  a  chairman  was  chosen.  At 
three  o'clock  a  legal  meeting  was  called  by  the  selectmen, 
in  the  meeting-house  of  the  Old  South  Church.  Otis  was 
chosen  moderator,  and  was  "  ushered  into  the  hall  by  an 
almost  universal  clap  of  hands."  An  address  to  the  gover- 
nor was  voted,  and  a  committee  of  twenty-one  was  appointed 
to  present  it.  On  the  following  day  Otis  delivered  a 
speech,  in  which  he  advised  the  preservation  of  order,  and 
expressed  the  hope  that  present  grievances  might  soon  be 
redressed.  "  If  not,"  he  added,  "  and  we  are  called  on  to 
defend  our  liberties  and  privileges,  I  hope  and  believe  we 
shall,  one  and  all,  resist  even  unto  blood.  But  I  pray  God 
Almighty  that  this  may  never  so  happen."  The  committee 
appointed  to  present  the  address  was  received  by  the  gov- 
ernor with  marked  obsequiousness.  In  his  reply,  the  latter 
said,  "  I  shall  think  myself  most  highly  honored  if  I  can  be, 
in  the  lowest  degree,  an  instrument  in  procuriug  a  perfect 
reconciliation  between  you  and  the  parent  state."  Such 
professions,  however,  were  only  false ;  and  matters  progressed 
daily  from  bad  to  worse.  Massachusetts  had  been  ordered 
to   rescind  her    resolutions   against   importing    goods    from 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN  THE  PROVINCE.      2G5 

England ;  but  the  legislature,  almost  with  one  voice,  refused 
to  comply  with  the  royal  mandate.  On  the  2d  of  Jidy, 
the  governor,  in  accordance  with  his  instruction,  dissolved 
the  Court ;  and  thus  Massachusetts  was  without  a  legislature, 
and  the  liberties  of  her  people  were  at  stake. 

The  struggle  was  now  fairly  opened.  The  conduct  of 
Massachusetts  was  the  theme  of  discussion  everywhere  on 
the  continent,  from  London  to  Madrid.  "  When  rebellion 
begins,"  said  Lord  Mansfield,  "  the  laws  cease.  The  Amer- 
icans must  first  be  compelled  to  submit  to  the  authority  of 
Parliament  ;  and  it  is  only  after  having  reduced  them  to  the 
most  entire  obedience  that  an  inquiry  can  be  made  into 
their  real  or  pretended  grievances."  Camden  was  alarmed, 
"  because  the  colonies  were  more  sober,  and  consequently 
more  determined,  in  the  present  opposition  than  they  were 
upon  the  Stamp  Act."  "  What,  then,  is  to  be  done  ?  "  asked 
Grafton.  "  Indeed,  my  lord,  I  do  not  know,"  was  the  for- 
mer's reply.  "  Parliament  cannot  repeal  the  Revenue  Act, 
for  that  would  admit  the  American  principle  to  be  right, 
and  their  own  doctrine  erroneous.  The  law  must  be  exe- 
cuted ;  but  how  it  shall  be  executed,  I  cannot  say.  Boston 
is  the  ringleading  province  ;  and  if  any  country  is  to  be 
chastised,  the  punishment  should  be  levelled  there."  In 
Boston,  the  spirit  of  freedom  told  plainly  how  the  law  would 
have  to  be  executed.  "  We  will  never  become  slaves,"  said 
Samuel  Adams.  "  We  will  submit  to  no  tax.  AVe  will 
take  up  arms,  and  shed  our  last  drop  of  blood,  before  the 
king  and  the  Parliament  shall  impose  on  us,  or  settle  crown 
officers,  independent  of  the  colonial  legislature,  to  dragoon 
us." 

It  had  long  been  whispered  that  the  king  had  resolved  on 
quartering  his  regulars  in  Boston  ;  to  protest  against  wliich, 
34 


266  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  against  the  danger  to  *'  the  liberties  of  America  from  a 
united  body  of  pensioners  and  soldiers,"  several  town-meet- 
ings had  been  called.  At  length  all.  fears  were  realized.  On 
the  28th  of  September  a  squadron  of  seven  armed  vessels 
anchored  off  Nantasket.  Three  days  later,  three  regiments 
of  king's  troops,  armed  with  fixed  bayonets,  stepped  upon 
Long  Wharf.  With  the  beat  of  drums  and  the  flying  of 
colors  they  marched  thence  to  the  Common.  That  night, 
the  air  being  chill,  the  troops  Avere  sheltered  in  Faneuil  Hall. 
"  I  have  got  possession  of  the  School  of  Liberty,  and  thereby 
secured  all  their  arms.  I  will  keep  possession  of  this  town, 
where  faction  seems  to  prevail  be^-ond  conception,"  was  the 
triumphant  boast  of  Dalrymple,  the  commander.  It  was  not 
difficult  for  him  to  carry  out  this  threat,  for  there  was  no 
one  then  to  oppose  him.  General  Gage  soon  arrived  in 
Boston,  and  demanded  quarters  for  his  Irish  regiments. 
"  The  barracks  are  not  yet  filled,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  and  we 
are  under  no  obligations  to  make  further  provisions  until  the 
law  has  been  complied  with."  The  governor  endeavored  to 
procure  suitable  quarters  on  his  own  responsibility,  but  with- 
out success.  "  I  am  at  the  end  of  my  tether,"  said  he,  in 
disgust.  "  I  can  do  no  more."  He  thus  left  Gage  to  shift 
for  himself. 

Before  the  season  had  closed,  military  despotism  was  estab- 
lished in  the  province.  Boston  was  a  garrisoned  town,  and 
the  liberties  of  the  people  were  at  the  mercy  of  a  hireling 
soldiery.  "  My  daily  reflections  for  two  years,"  wrote  John 
Adams,  afterwards,  "  at  the  sight  of  those  soldiers  before 
my  door,  were  serious  enough.  Their  very  appearance  in 
Boston  was  a  strong  proof  to  me  that  the  determination  of 
Great  Britain  to  subjugate  us  was  too  deep  and  inveterate 
ever  to  be  altered  by  us ;  for  everything  we  could  do  was 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN  THE  PROVINCE.       2GT 

misrepresented,  and  nothing  we  could  say  was  credited."  ^ 
It  was  trying  times  for  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  but  enough  wise 
and  prudent  men  there  were  to  evolve  from  them  beneficial 
and  lasting  results.  "  O,  my  countrymen,"  wrote  Josiah 
Quincy,  Jr.,  "  what  Avill  our  children  say,  when  they  read 
the  history  of  these  times,  should  they  find  we  tamely  gave 
away,  without  one  noble  struggle,  the  most  invaluable  of 
earthly  blessings  ?  As  they  drag  the  galling  chain,  will  they 
not  execrate  us  ?  If  we  have  any  respect  for  things  sacred  ; 
any  regard  to  the  dearest  treasure  on  earth ;  if  we  have 
any  tender  sentiment  for  posterity ;  if  we  would  not  be 
despised  by  the  whole  world,  let  us  in  the  most  open,  sol- 
emn manner,  and  with  determined  fortitude,  swear,  —  we 
will  die,  if  we  cannot  live  freemen  !  "  ^ 

In  his  speech  at  the  opening  of  Parliament  the  king  railed 
at  "  the  spirit  of  faction,"  which  he  affirmed,  had  broken  out 
"  afresh  in  some  of  the  colonies."  "  With  your  concurrence 
and  support,"  he  added,  "  I  shall  be  able  to  defeat  the  mis- 
chievous designs  of  those  turbulent  and  seditious  persons, 
who,  under  false  pretences,  have  but  too  successfully  deluded 
numbers  of  my  subjects  in  America,  and  whose  practices, 
if  suffered  to  prevail,  cannot  fail  to  produce  the  most  fatal 
consequences  to  ni}'  colonies  immediately,  and  in  the  end,  to 
all  the  dominions  of  my  crown."  A  warm  debate  followed; 
and  several  entertained  the  opinion  that  the  late  act  ought 
to  be  repealed.  "  I  am  against  repealing  the  last  act  of  Par- 
liament," said  Lord  North  ;  "  I  will  never  think  of  repealing 
it  until  I  see  America  prostrate  at  my  feet."  The  Plouse  of 
Lords  replied  to  the  king  in  an  address.  "  We  will,  by 
every  means  in  our  power,  cheerfully  and  zealously  support 
your  Majesty  in  all  such  future  measures  as  shall  be  found 

'  Works,  ii.  214.  *  Memoirs  of  J.  Quinc/,  Jr.,  18. 


268  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

requisite  to  enforce  a  cine  obedience  to  the  laws,  restore 
order  and  good  government  where  they  have  been  disturbed, 
and  to  estabHsh  the  constitutional  dependence  of  the  colonies 
of  Great  Britain,  so  essential  to  the  interest  and  prosperity 
of  both."  These  words  were  a  virtual  declaration  of  war 
against  the  colonies. 

On  the  2Gth  of  January,  17G9,  a  grand  debate  took  place 
"  on  the  North  American  affairs,"  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
The  ministry  showed  what  they  had  done  already,  and  in- 
tended to  do  in  the  future,  —  "  that  on  the  representation 
of  Governor  Bernard  and  the  commissioners  of  customs,  they 
had  ordered  troops  and  ships  to  Boston,  by  whose  assistance 
everything  was  now  quiet ;  that  they  intended  to  keep  them 
there  ;  that  by  not  repealing  the  tax  bills,  they  would  show 
to  North  America  their  intentions  to  be  steadily  and  firmly 
their  masters ;  that  by  bringing  over  the  culpable,  they 
hoped  to  strike  a  greater  terror  than  any  trials  could  do  in 
that  country,  where  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  a  jury  not 
involved  in  the  same  guilt."  Barrd  declared,  "  The  question 
is  not  of  one  refractory  colon3\  The  whole  country  is  ripe 
for  revolt.  If  we  do  not  change  our  conduct  towards  her, 
America  will  be  torn  from  our  side.  I  repeat  it,  unless  you 
repeal  this  law,  you  run  the  risk  of  losing  America." 

At  home,  Bernard  and  Hutchinson,  in  connection  with 
the  attorney-general,  were  searching  for  evidence  against 
the  leading  patriots  of  the  day.  Otis  and  Samuel  Adams 
were  especially  abhorred ;  and  sworn  affidavits,  accusing 
them  of  treason,  were  sent  to  England.  But  these  proceed- 
ings amounted  to  nothing.  On  the  31st  of  May,  1769,  a 
new  legislature  was  convened  "  in  the  name  of  the  king." 
The  grievances,  which  had  been  complained  of  a  year  before, 
remained  unredressed.     One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  repre- 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN  THE  TROVINCE.       2G9 

sentatives  was  to  draw  up  a  protest,  praj'ing  for  "  the  removal 
of  the  forces,  by  sea  and  land,  out  of  this  port  and  the  gates 
of  this  city."  In  his  reply,  the  governor  said,  "  I  have  no 
authority  over  his  Majesty's  ships  in  this  port,  or  his  troops 
in  this  town  ;  nor  can  I  give  any  orders  for  the  removal  of 
the  same."  The  House  was  more  dissatisfied  than  ever,  and 
criticised  the  message  of  the  governor  with  much  severity. 
Towards  the  middle  of  June  the  controversy  became  warm, 
and  the  governor  threatened  to  adjourn  the  General  Court 
to  some  other  place  unless  the  members  should  alter  their 
course.  "  It  is  an  indifferent  thing  to  me,"  he  said,  "  where 
the  General  Court  is  held.  I  know  that  it  is  not  necessarily 
confined  to  any  town.  That  town  seems  to  me  to  be  the 
most  proper  for  it  where  the  business  can  be  most  conven- 
iently, easily,  and  readily  done.  And  as  it  is  apparent  from 
your  resolutions  that  you  do  not  think  this  is  a  proper  town 
for  the  Court  to  sit  in,  I  shall  remove  it  to  Cambridge, 
against  which  place  no  objection  tliat  I  know  of  can  be 
formed." 

The  House  responded  to  this  message  in  befitting  words. 
"No  time,"  said  they,  "can  be  better  employed  than  in  the 
preservation  of  the  rights  derived  from  the  British  constitu- 
tion, and  insisting  upon  points  which,  though  your  excel- 
lency may  consider  them  as  non-essential,  we  esteem  its  best 
bulwarks.  No  treasure  can  be  better  expended  than  in 
securing  that  true  old  English  liberty  which  gives  a  relish 
to  every  other  enjoyment." 

The  governor  made  a  final  attempt  in  July  to  coerce  the 
House.  He  requested  that  body  to  provide  funds  for  meet- 
ing the  expenses  incurred  by  quartering  his  Majesty's  troops 
in  Boston.  "  Your  excellency  must  excuse  us,"  replied  the 
House,  "  in  this  express  declaration,  that  as  we  cannot,  con- 


270  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

sisteiitly  with  our  honor  or  interest,  and  much  less  with 
the  duty  we  owe  our  constituents,  so  we  never  shall  make 
provision  for  the  purposes  j^ou  have  mentioned."  Thus, 
almost  ignominiouslj',  closed  the  administration  of  Governor 
Bernard.  On  the  last  day  of  July  he  sailed  for  England, 
"  regretted  by  none  who  were  sincerely  desirous  of  the  free- 
dom and  welfare  of  the  province,  but  followed  by  the  honest 
indignation  of  every  intelligent  and  upright  patriot  for  the 
misrepresentations  he  had  often  made  of  the  views  and 
conduct  of  the  oppressed  citizens,  and  the  arbitrary  and 
unfeeling  manner  in  which  he  had  executed  the  obnoxious 
laws  of  the  British  ministry." 

Thomas  Hutchinson,  who  for  eight  years  previous  had 
been  chief  justice  of  the  province,  succeeded  to  the  chair 
left  vacant  by  Bernard.  Had  Hutchinson  been  a  sincere  and 
firm  friend  to  the  rights  of  the  province,  though  at  the  same 
time  duly  disposed  to  maintain  the  prerogative  of  the  king 
and  the  just  authority  of  Parliament,  harmony  would  prob- 
ably have  been  in  a  good  degree  restored  to  the  province, 
and  the  separation  of  the  colonies  from  the  parent  state 
delayed  for  many  years.  As  the  case  stood,  neither  the 
previous  conduct  nor  the  character  of  the  new  governor 
afforded  any  pledges  of  a  peaceful  administration.  Already 
the  spirit  of  the  people  appalled  him,  and  their  refractory 
deeds  convinced  him  that  "  without  a  further  exertion  of 
power  and  authority  from  the  kingdom,  acts  of  Parliament 
for  raising  money  \>y  taxes  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  colo- 
nies could  never  be  carried  into  execution." 

At  the  session  of  Parliament,  in  January,  1T70,  the  Amer- 
ican question  was  discussed.  Pitt  ventured  to  address  the 
House  of  Lords,  while  every  member  hung  on  his  lips  with 
attention.     In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  he  said,  "  I  own 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN   THE  TROVINCE.       271 

my  natural  partiality  to  America,  and  am  inclined  to  make 
allowance  for  all  excesses.  The  people  of  the  colonies  should 
be  treated  with  kindness.  Their  ebullitions  of  liberty,  which 
liave  broken  out  upon  the  skin,  are  a  sign,  if  not  of  perfect 
health,  at  least  of  a  vigorous  constitution,  and  must  not  be 
driven  in  too  suddenly,  lest  they  strike  to  the  heart.  .  .  . 
The  discontent  of  two  millions  of  people  deserves  con- 
sideration, and  its  foundation  should  be  removed.  For  the 
present  I  will  only  say  that  w^e  should  be  cautious  how  we 
invade  the  liberties  of  any  part  of  our  fellow-subjects,  how- 
ever remote  in  situation,  or  unable  to  make  resistance. 
Liberty  is  a  plant  that  deserves  to  be  cherished.  I  love 
the  tree,  and  wish  well  to  its  branches,  wherever  they 
are."  ^ 

Said  Camden,  "  I  have  suffered  myself  too  long  to  be 
trammelled  by  the  ministers  of  his  Majesty.  For  some  time 
I  have  beheld,  with  silent  indignation,  their  arbitrary  meas- 
ures. I  have  often  drooped  and  hung  down  my  head  in 
Council,  and  disapproved  by  my  looks  those  steps  which  I 
knew  my  avowed  opposition  could  not  prevent.  I  will  do 
so  no  longer,  but  openly  and  boldly  speak  my  sentiments.  I 
now  proclaim  to  the  world,  that  I  entirely  coincide  in  the 
opinion  expressed  by  my  noble  friend,  whose  presence  rean- 
imates us,  touching  this  illegal  and  unconstitutional  vote."  ^ 
In  the  House  of  Commons,  the  ministry  were  condemned  for 
having  done  everything  without  success.  Barre  exclaimed, 
"  The  people  of  England  know,  the  people  of  Ireland  know, 
and  the  American  people  feel^  that  the  iron  .  hand  of  minis- 
terial despotism  is  lifted  up  against  them ;  but  it  is  not  less 
formidable  against  the  prince  than  against  the  people." 
Lord  North  replied,  "  The  trumpeters  of  sedition  have  pro- 

'  Pari.  Debates,  v.  127-131.  '^  Wem,  v.  141-142. 


272  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

duced  the  disaffection.  The  drunken  ragamuffins  of  a  vocif- 
erous mob  are  exalted  into  equal  importance  with  men  of 
judgment,  of  morals,  and  of  property.  I  can  never  acquiesce 
in  the  absurd  opinion  that  all  men  are  equal.  The  contest 
in  America,  which  at  first  might  have  been  easily  ended,  is 
now  for  no  less  than  sovereignty  on  one  side  and  indepen- 
dence on  the  other."  ^ 

Meanwhile  affairs  in  Boston  had  not  peacefully  progressed. 
Almost  daily  meetings  were  held,  and  the  state  of  affairs 
was  discussed.  The  mercliants  grew  more  and  more  refrac- 
tory, and  the  relations  between  the  soldiery  and  the  public 
were  of  an  exceedingly  hostile  nature.  The  murder  of  a 
young  man,  named  Snider,  during  a  mob  on  the  22d  of 
February,  was  the  prelude  to  scenes  of  greater  violence.  On 
the  2d  of  INIarch  a  private  of  the  twenty-ninth  regiment 
sought  employment  at  Gray's  ropewalk,  and  was  repulsed. 
He  challenged  to  "  fight  anyone  ;  "  the  challenge  was  accept- 
ed by  a  workman,  and  the  soldier  was  beaten.  Several 
companions  of  the  latter  next  engaged  in  the  contest,  and 
they  too  were  driven  off.  Upon  returning  to  their  barracks, 
these  fellows  "inflamed  each  other's  passions,  as  if  the  honor 
of  the  regiment  were  tarnished."  Through  Saturday  and 
Sunday  they  nourished  their  anger.  Some  days  before  one 
of  their  number  had  said,  "  I  will  never  miss  an  opportunity 
of  firing  upon  the  inhabitants.  I  have  wanted  such  an 
opportunity  ever  since  I  landed." 

On  Monday,  the  5th  of  March,  there  was  a  fall  of  snow  ; 
but  towards  evening  the  weather  cleared  up,  and  the  moon 
shone  brightly  upon  the  earth.  At  an  early  hour  "  clusters 
of  the  inhabitants  were  observed  in  different  quarters  of  the 
town,"    and    "  parties   of  soldiers   were    driving   about   the 

>  Pari.  Debates,  v.  203,  seq. 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  TV   THE  PROVINCE.       273 

streets,  as  if  the  one  and  the  other  had  something  more  than 
ordinary  upon  their  minds."  The  nine  o'clock  bell  sounded, 
as  four  3'oung  men  were  wending  their  way  through  Corn- 
hill  towards  Dock  Square.  Wliilc  passing  the  narrow  lane, 
since  known  as  Boylston's  Alley,  they  were  attacked  l)y  a 
soldier,  brandishing  a  huge  broadsword  in  his  hand.  The 
young  men  returned  the  blows ;  and  a  few  moments  later, 
other  soldiers  arrived,  and  a  general  fray  ensued.  Crowds 
of  people  filled  the  streets,  and  from  every  quarter  the  citi- 
zens, summoned  by  the  ringing  of  the  bells  and  by  boisterous 
shouts  of  "  Fire  I  "  came  rushing  to  the  scene  of  strife.  The 
tumult  increased,  and  the  rage  of  the  soldiery  became  un- 
governable. An  attempt  was  made  by  a  few  prominent 
citizens  to  disperse  the  multitude,  but  without  effect. 

B\-  this  time  thirty  or  more  boys  had  assembled  in  King, 
now  State,  Street,  and  had  begun  to  annoy  the  sentinel  who 
stood  at  the  door  of  the  Custom  House.  On  a  sudden,  a 
servant  cried  out,  saying,  "  They  are  killing  the  sentinel ; 
turn  out  the  guard."  At  the  command  of  Preston,  a  de- 
tachment of  seven  or  eight  soldiers,  headed  by  a  corporal, 
hastil}^  posted  themselves  in  a  semicircle  just  west  of  the 
Custom  House  door,  where  they  were  immediately  saluted 
with  snowballs  and  missile  weaj^ons.  "  Stand  off  I  "  shouted 
Preston  to  the  crowd ;  and  finding  that  his  words  were  un- 
heeded, he  ordered  the  soldiers  to  load  and  prime.  "  You 
are  not  going  to  fire  ?  "  asked  several  bystanders,  "  By  no 
means,  unless  I  am  compelled  to,"  was  the  reply.  "  For 
God's  sake,"  said  Knox,  grasping  at  Preston's  coat,  "  take 
your  men  back  again  ;  if  the}'  fire,  your  life  must  answer  for 
the  consequences."  "  I  know  what  I  am  about,"  said 
Preston ;    but    the  agitation  of    his   countenance  belied   his 

words. 

35 


274  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

After  the  soldiers  had  finished  loading,  a  party  of  ten  or 
a  dozen  citizens,  with  sticks  in  their  hands,  advanced,  struck 
at  the  muskets,  saying,  "  Come  on,  you  rascals !  you  bloody 
backs  !  you  lobster  scoundrels !  Fire,  if  you  dare  !  You 
dare  not  fire  !  "  A  moment  later,  a  voice  cried,  "  Fire  !  " 
and  one  of  the  soldiers  stepped  forward  and  discharged  his 
gun.  Attucks,  a  negro,  fell.  The  order  was  repeated,  — 
and  Samuel  Gray  fell.  Other  guns  were  discharged,  and  in 
all,  three  persons  were  killed,  and  eight  were  wounded. 
The  successive  firings  attracted  more  citizens  into  the  streets. 
The  bells  of  all  the  churches  were  ringing  the  alarm,  and 
the  drums  sounded,  "To  arms — to  arms!"  In  the  midst 
of  the  excitement,  the  governor  was  requested  to  order  the 
.troops  to  return  to  their  barracks.  "  It  is  not  in  my  power," 
he  answered.  "  It  lies  with  Colonel  Dalrymple,  and  not 
with  me.  I  will  send  for  him,  however."  At  length  the 
troops  were  marched  to  the  barracks,  and  the  crowd  was 
dispersed. 

On  the  following  morning  the  selectmen  waited  upon  the 
governor,  and  informed  him  that  a  meeting  of  the  citizens 
would  shortly  be  held,  and  that  nothing  would  satisfy  them 
but  a  speedy  removal  of  the  troops.  At  eleven  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon  the  citizens  met,  and  appointed  a  committee  of 
fifteen  to  proceed  to  the  Council  Chamber,  to  demand  the 
removal  of  the  troops.  Hutchinson  made  a  reply,  saying, 
"  I  have  consulted  with  the  commanding  officers.  They  have 
their  orders  from  the  general,  at  New  York.  It  is  not  in 
my  poAver  to  countermand  those  orders.  The  Council  have 
desired  the  regiments  to  be  removed ;  and  Colonel  Dalrymple 
has  signified  to  me  that  the  regiment  of  which  he  has  the 
command  shall,  without  delay,  be  placed  in  the  barracks  at 
the  Castle,  until  he  can  send  to  the  general  and  receive  his 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN  THE  PROITXCE.       275 

orders  for  both  regiments.  The  main  guard,  he  also  assures 
me,  shall  be  removed ;  and  the  fourteenth  regiment  shall  be 
laid  under  such  restraint  that  all  occasion  of  future  disturb- 
ances may  be  prevented."  ^ 

In  the  afternoon  the  meeting  was  adjourned  from  Faueuil 
Hall  to  the  Old  South  Meeting  House.  "  Make  way  for  the 
committee  !  "  was  the  shout  which  signified  to  the  multitude 
the  return  of  that  special  body.  The  committee  read  their 
report ;  and  dissatisfaction  was  painted  on  the  countenance 
of  every  listener.  A  second  committee  of  seven  was  ap- 
pointed to  bear  a  final  message  to  the  governor.  They  found 
his  Honor,  as  before,  unable,  or  at  least  unwilling,  to  comply 
with  the  demand  of  the  town  meeting.  "  The  troops  are 
not  subject  to  my  authority ;  I  have  no  power  to  remove 
them,"  said  the  governor  with  firmness.  "  If  you  have 
power  to  remove  one  regiment,"  replied  Samuel  Adams, 
whose  frame  trembled  at  the  energy  of  his  soul,  "you  have 
power  to  remove  both.  It  is  at  your  peril,  if  you  refuse. 
The  meeting  is  impatient.  The  country  is  in  motion.  Night 
is  approaching  ;  and  your  answer  is  expected."  The  gover- 
nor trembled  under  the  steady  gaze  of  the  speaker,  and  his 
officers  were  likewise  abashed.  "  It  is  impossible  to  go  any 
further  lengths  in  this  matter,"  said  Colonel  Dalrymple. 
"  You  must  either  comply,  or  determine  to  leave  the  prov- 
ince," whispered  Oliver.  Thus  advised,  the  governor  yield- 
ed. The  committee  returned  to  the  meeting,  and  the  reading 
of  their  report  gave  the  highest  satisfaction. 

On  the  8th,  the  four  victims  of  the  "  Boston  Massacre  " 
were  buried  with  great  ceremony.  Most  of  the  shops  in  the 
town  were  closed  ;  and  the  church  bells  in  Charlestown, 
Cambridge,   and  Roxbury  were  solemnly  tolled  whilst   the 

'  Boston  News  Letter,  March  15,  1770. 


276  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

funeral  procession  marclied  through  the  main  street  to  the 
middle  burial  ground,  where  the  last  rites  were  performed. 
It  was  a  sad  day  for  the  people  of  Boston.  "  They  well 
knew  that  exaggerated  narratives  of  the  affiur  would  be  pub- 
lished, and  that  no  pains  would  be  spared  to  insist  upon 
harsher  measures,  and  to  justify  high-minded  attempts  to 
enslave  them.  Yet,  withal,  there  was  a  feeling  in  the  breast 
of  every  one  that,  come  what  would,  the  province  must  on 
no  account  recede  from  its  position."  ^ 

Shortly  after  the  fray  of  the  5th  of  INIarch,  a  warrant  had 
been  issued  for  the  arrest  of  Preston,  and  of  the  soldiers 
whom  he  had  called  out.  The  trial  of  Preston  was  held  in 
October,  and  Josiah  Quincy,  Junior,  was  selected  as  one  of 
his  advocates.  On  the  30th  of  the  month,  the  trial,  of  which 
no  minutes  exist,  was  concluded,  with  the  acquittal  of  Pres- 
ton. On  the  27th  of  November  the  soldiers'  trial  was  begun. 
They  were  ably  defended  by  Quincy  and  John  Adams.  Of 
the  accused,  six  were  found  "not  guilty;  "  two,  "guilty  of 
manslaughter."  These  latter  were  "  each  of  them  burnt  in 
the  hand,  in  open  court,  and  discharged." 

Thus  closed  the  direct  result  of  the  ever-memorable  event 
of  the  5th  of  March.  In  reviewing  the  circumstances  at- 
tending the  "  massacre,"  one  is  disposed  to  censure  as  much 
the  conduct  of  the  citizens  as  of  the  soldiery.  Both  parties 
were,  at  the  time,  in  a  feverish  state  of  excitement,  and  the 
tragedy  was  naturally  to  be  expected  from  events  that  had 
already  happened.  Which  side  was  the  more  to  be  blamed, 
it  is  difficult  to  say.  Nor  should  Captain  Preston  be  cen- 
sured too  severely.  He  may,  or  may  not,  have  given  the 
order  to  fire.     The  evidence  against  him  was  certainly  not 

'  Barry,  ii.  420. 


MILITARY  DESPOTISM  IN  THE  PROVINCE.       277 

conclusive  ;  and  lie  himself  personally  denied  having  given 
any  such  order.  The  real  blame  in  the  whole  affair  is  at- 
tached to  those  who  sent  the  soldiery  to  Boston.  Hills- 
borough and  Bernard,  —  upon  them  must  always  rest  the 
responsibility. 


278  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 

Whilst  the  victims  of  a  massacre  were  falling  in  the 
streets  of  Boston,  the  American  question  was  again  under 
debate  in  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain. .  The  attention 
of  the  latter  had  been  called  by  the  "  merchants  and  traders 
of  London,"  to  the  "  alarming  suspense  "  into  which  com- 
merce had  fallen,  and  some  relief  was  sought.  Only  a  few 
weeks  before,  Lord  North  had  been  called  to  the  position 
made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  the  Duke  of  Grafton, 
and  he  now  stood  as  the  first  lord  of  the  treasury. 

When  the  petition  of  the  merchants  and  traders  was 
read  in  the  House,  Lord  North  arose.  "  He  had  favored," 
he  said,  "  with  the  rest  of  the  ministry,  at  the  end  of  the 
last  session,  the  circular  letter  to  the  governors  of  the 
colonies,  promising  to  repeal,  on  certain  commercial  prin- 
ciples, that  part  of  the  law  which  was  repugnant  to  them  ; 
that  he  did  this  as  a  persuasive  to  bring  them  back  to  their 
duty,  by  a  measure  which  would  not  at  the  same  time  relax 
the  reins  of  government  over  them  ;  and  he  could  have 
wished  to  repeal  the  whole,  if  it  could  have  been  done 
without  giving  up  such  absolute  right.  But  he  was  sorry 
to  say  that  the  behavior  of  the  Americans  had  by  no  means 
been  such  as  to  merit  this  favor,  their  resolutions  being 
more  violent  this  summer  than  ever ;  neither  did  he  think 
a  total  repeal  would  by  any  means  quell  the  troubles  there  ; 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  STRUGGLE.  279 

as  experience  had  shown  that  to  hiy  taxes  when  America 
Avas  quiet,  and  repeal  them  when  America  was  in  flames, 
only  added  fresh  claims  to  those  people  on  every  occa- 
sion ;  and  now,  as  they  totally  denied  the  power  of 
Great  Britian  to  tax  them,  it  became  more  absolutely 
necessary  to  compel  the  observance  of  the  laws,  to  vin- 
dicate the  rights  of  Parliament."  ^  Lord  North  then  asked 
leave  to  "  bring  in  a  bill  to  repeal  the  tax  act  as  far 
as  related  to  the  tax  on  paper,  glass,  and  painters'  colors." 

Pownall,  who  had  been  governor  of  the  province,  and 
knew  well  whereof  he  spoke,  defended  the  petition,  and 
moved  that  the  tax  might  be  removed  from  tea.  "  I  do 
not  argue  this  repeal,"  he  said,  "  as  asking  a  favor  for  the 
Americans  ;  they  do  not  now  ask  tlie  repeal  as  a  favor. 
Nor  do  I  move  in  this  matter  as  seeking  redress  of  a 
grievance  complained  of  by  them ;  they  have  not  com- 
plained to  Parliament,  nor  do  they  come  for  redress.  Al- 
though they  feel  deei)ly,  they  suffer  and  endure  with  a 
determined  and  alarming  silence.  They  are  under  no  ap- 
prehension for  their  liberty.  They  remember  that  it  was 
planted  under  the  auspicious  genius  of  this  constitution ; 
it  hath  taken  root,  and  they  have  seen  it  grow  up,  under 
the  Divine  blessing,  to  a  fair  and  blooming  tree.  And 
should  any  severe  strokes  of  fate  again  and  again  prune 
it  down  to  the  bare  stock,  it  would  only  strike  the  deeper 
and  the  stronger.  It  would  not,  perhaps,  rise  in  so  straight 
and  fair  a  form,  but  it  would  prove  the  more  hardy  and 
durable.  They  trust,  therefore,  to  Providence ;  nor  will 
they  complain." 

Conway  favored  the  repeal  of  "  the  whole  of  the  present 
act ;  "  and  Barrd,  also,  was  for  "  the  whole  repeal."     When 

'  Pari.  Debates,  v.  253-25 j  :  Mahon's  Hist,  of  Eng.,  v.  2C5. 


280  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  vote  was  taken,  the  repeal  was  lost,  so  far  as  the 
article  of  tea  was  concerned,  though  carried  on  the  other 
points.  Nothing  was  more  plain  than  that  the  ministers 
were  obstinate,  and  their  conduct  impolitic. 

In  Massachusetts,  the  General  Court  was  waging  a  fierce 
controversy  with  Hutchinson.  On  the  15th  of  March  the 
latter  had  convened  the  legislature  at  Cambridge,  "  much 
against  their  will."  Their  petition  that  the  assembly  should 
be  restored  "  to  its  ancient  place,  the  Court  House  in 
Boston,"  was  firmly  disregarded  by  the  governor.  Finding 
him  inflexible,  the  House  resolved  :  "  We  proceed  to  busi- 
ness under  this  grievance,  only  from  absolute  necessity^  — 
hereby  protesting  against  the  illegality  of  holding  the 
assembly  as  aforesaid,  and  ordering  this  our  protest  to 
be  entered  on  our  journals,  to  the  end  that  the  same  may 
not  be  drawn  into  precedent  at  any  time  hereafter."  In 
his  messages  to  the  Court,  the  governor  took  no  notice 
of  the  traged}^  of  the  5th  of  March,  but  spoke  freely  of  cer- 
tain disturbances  of  minor  importance.  To  his  charge  of 
"  riots  and  tumults,"  the  House  replied,  "  It  may  justly  be 
said  of  the  people  of  this  province  that  they  seldom,  if  ever, 
have  assembled  in  a  tumultuous  manner,  unless  they  have 
been  oppressed.  It  cannot  be  expected  that  a  people  accus- 
tomed to  the  freedom  of  the  English  constitution,  will  be 
patient  under  the  hand  of  tyranny  and  arbitrary  power. 
They  will  discover  their  resentment  in  a  manner  which  will 
naturall}'  displease  their  oppressors.  And,  in  such  case,  the 
severest  laws  and  the  most  rigorous  execution  will  be  to 
little  or  no  purpose.  The  most  effectual  method  to  restore 
tranquillity  would  be  to  remove  their  burdens,  and  to  punish 
all  those  who  have  been  the  procurers  of  their  ojipression."  ^ 

'  Hutcliinson,  iii.  283,  seq. 


THE  PROGRESS   OF  THE  STRUGGLE.  281 

Affairs  became  so  entangled  tliat,  in  ^lay,  a  warm  debate 
took  place  in  the  House  of  Commons.  On  the  motion  of 
"William  Burke,  seventeen  resolves  were  reported  in  the 
House,  condemning  the  measures  of  the  ministry.  All  but 
one  of  these  resolves,  however,  were  negatived.  On  the 
18th  of  the  month  Burke's  resolves  were  read  in  the 
House  of  Lords,  and  the  Duke  of  Richmond  severely  cen- 
sured the  recent  conduct  of  Hillsborough,  upon  whom  he 
charged  all  the  late  disorders.  Hillsborough,  taken  utterly 
by  sur^^rise,  rose  to  his  feet.  He  knew,  he  said,  that  he 
stood  on  slippery  ground,  and  was  responsible  for  having 
quartered  the  troops  in  Boston.  "  Adjourn  !  adjourn  !  " 
cried  his  friends,  anticipating  a  collision.  But  the  Marquis 
of  Rockingham  had  gained  the  floor,  and  was  quickly 
followed  by  Lord  Temple.  "  How  have  the  promises  rela- 
tive to  America  been  complied  with  ?  "  asked  the  latter.  "  I 
must  confess,"  he  added,  "  that  these  promises  have  been 
performed  in  a  most  singular  manner,  and  that  the  busi- 
ness of  the  government  has  been  done  in  a  style  still  more 
singular,  —  a  style  which  reminds  me  of  the  French  gas- 
conade, — 

'  The  King  of  France,  witli  forty  thousand  men, 
Marched  up  the  hill,  and  so  marched  down  again.'" 

But  in  the  House  of  Lords  the  resolves  were  rejected,  and 
the  weight  of  authority  still  rested  on  the  side  of  the 
ministry. 

A  new  General  Court  convened  at  Cambridge  on  the  last 
Wednesday  in  May.  At  the  opening  of  the  session,  the 
House  said  to  the  governor,  "  The  Town  House  in  Boston  is 
the  onlij  place  where  the  General  Court  is  to  be  convened 
and  held.  We  do  not  conceive  that  it  is  in  your  Honor's 
36 


282  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

discretion  to  remove  it  to  this  or  to  any  other  place  ;  nor 
does  the  prerogative  of  the  crown  extend  so  far  as  to 
suffer  you  to  exercise  power  to  the  injury  of  the  people. 
We  therefore  esteem  it  our  indispensable  duty,  before  pro- 
ceeding to  the  business  of  this  assembl}^  to  remonstrate 
against  its  being  held  in  any  other  place  than  the  Town 
House  in  Boston."  Hutchinson,  finding  all  his  hopes  blasted, 
prorogued  the  assembly  to  the  25th  of  June,  and  then  to  the 
following  September. 

Meanwhile  preparations  were  going  on  for  establishing 
martial  law  in  Massachusetts.  An  order  was  issued  closing 
the  port  of  Boston,  and  placing  the  custody  of  the  Castle 
in  the  hands  of  Dahymple  and  the  king's  troops.  The 
controversy  with  the  governor  still  continued,  and  with 
no  signs  of  an  abatement.  The  time  had  come  for  action 
of  some  sort,  while  delay  served  only  to  augment  the  dis- 
turbance. It  was  said  in  England  that  the  colonies  were 
on  the  eve  of  a  revolt.  Hutchinson  and  Hillsborough 
understood  each  other,  and  were  working  in  conjunction. 
"  No  more  time  should  be  lost  in  deliberation,"  said  the 
latter.  "If  the  kingdom  is  united  and  resolved,"  wrote 
the  former,  "  I  have  but  very  little  doubt  we  shall  be  as 
tame  as  lambs."  By  choosing  Franklin  as  the  new  agent  of 
thie  province,  it  was  hoped  that  the  difficulties  of  the  situa- 
tion might  soon  be  overcome. 

For  a  few  months  quiet  reigned  in  the  province.  In 
March,  1771,  Hutchinson  received  his  full  commission  as 
successor  of  Bernard.  He  was  now  the  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  the  goal  of  his  ambition  was  fairly  reached. 
He  looked  about  him  in  search  of  opponents.  Otis  was 
shattered  in  intellect ;  John  Adams  had  withdrawn  from* 
public  life ;   but   Samuel  Adams,  Bowdoin,   Gushing,  Haw- 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  STRUGGLE.  283 

ley,  Warren,  and  Phillips  remained  strong  in  purpose  and 
zeal.  On  llic  3d  of  April  the  General  Court  convened 
at  Cambridge,  and  in  his  opening  address  the  governor 
pledged  to  acquiesce  ''  in  such  measures  as  might  tend 
completel}-  to  restore  and  constantly  to  maintain  that  state 
of  order  and  tranquillity  upon  which  the  prosperity  of 
the  province  depended."  ^  The  Court  paid  but  little  con- 
sideration to  the  address,  and  persisted  in  the  desire  to 
be  removed  to  Boston.  Samuel  Adams  ventured  to  move 
that  "  the  House  should  come  into  a  resolve  to  do  no 
business  except  in  the  town  of  Boston  ;  "  but  Otis,  who 
represented  the  town  in  the  place  of  John  Adams,  op- 
posed the  motion,  and  after  some  debate  it  was  negatived. 

Samuel  Adams,  whose  thirst  for  independence  was  brand- 
ed as  an  "  original  sin,"  now  began  to  reflect  upon  a 
general  union  of  the  colonies.  "  It  would  be  an  ardu- 
ous task,"'  he  said,  "  to  awaken  a  sufKcient  number  to 
so  grand  an  undertaking.  Nothing,  however,  should  be 
despaired  of.  The  tragedy  of  American  freedom  is  nearly 
completed.  A  tj-ranny  seems  to  be  at  the  ver}^  door. 
Yet  the  liberties  of  our  country  are  worth  defending  at 
all  hazards.  If  we  should  suffer  them  to  be  wrested  from 
us,  millions  yet  unborn  may  be  the  miseral)le  sharers  in 
the  event.  Every  step  has  been  taken  but  one ;  and 
the  Last  Appeal  would  require  prudence,  unanimit}-,  and 
fortitude.  America  must  herself,  under  God,  finally  work 
out  her  own  salvation."  ^  Gushing,  likewise,-  declared  for 
union,  and  urged  that  "  the  assemblies  ought  to  keep  a 
watchful  eye  upon  their  liberties." 

Nothing  of  importance  transpired  during  the  winter  and 
spring  ;   but  in  the  summer  of  1772  new  difficulties  arose, 

'  Bradford's  State  Papers,  294.  '  Boston  Gazette,  for  Oct.  14,  1771. 


284  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

occasioned  by  a  dispute  relative  to  the  salaiy  of  the  governor. 
The  Latter  was  enraged,  and  wrote  to  Hillsborough,  saying 
that,  "  if  the  nation  would  arouse  and  unite  in  measures  to 
retain  the  colonies  in  subordination,  all  this  new  doctrine  of 
independence  would  be  disavowed,  and  its  first  inventors  be 
sacrificed  to  the  rage  of  the  people  whom  they  had  deluded." 
To  this  strain  the  secretary  replied  that  the  king,  "  with  the 
entire  concurrence  of  Lord  North,  had  made  provision  for 
the  support  of  his  law  servants  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay." 
This  was  the  last  official  act  of  Hillsborough.  He  fell  from 
his  office,  and  the  young  and  amiable  Earl  of  Dartmouth 
became  secretary  for  the  colonies. 

"We  must  now  strike  a  home  blow,"  said  the  Boston  pa- 
triots, "  or  the  chains  of  tyranny  are  riveted  upon  us."  Then 
followed  the  step,  "  which  included  the  whole  revolution  ;  " 
and  Samuel  Adams  moved,  in  a  town  meeting  held  in  Bos- 
ton, "  that  a  committee  of  correspondence  be  appointed,  to 
consist  of  twenty-one  persons,  to  state  the  rights  of  the  colo- 
nists, and  of  this  province  in  particular,  as  men  and  Chris- 
tians, and  as  subjects  ;  and  to  communicate  and  publish  the 
same  to  the  several  towns  and  to  the  world,  as  the  sense  of 
this  town,  with  the  infringements  and  violations  thereof  that 
have  been,  or  from  time  to  time  may  be,  made."  The  motion 
prevailed ;  and  a  committee,  with  Otis  as  chairman,  was 
appointed.  Thus  was  laid  the  foundation  for  American 
Union. 

After  the  committee  was  organized,  Samuel  Adams  was 
instructed  to  prepare  a  statement  of  the  rights  of  the  colo- 
nies ;  Joseph  "Warren,  a  statement  of  the  violations  of  those 
rights  ;  and  Benjamin  Church,  to  draught  a  letter  to  the 
several  towns  in  the  province.  On  the  20th  of  November 
the  Boston  committee  made  their  report  in  a  spirited  and 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  STRUGGLE.  285 

uneqiuvocal  manner.  Such  was  its  effect,  together  witli  that 
of  the  circuLir  letter,  that  before  the  spring  opened  commit- 
tees of  correspondence  were  ever^-where  established.  The 
response  of  the  several  towns  was  unanimously  in  favor  of 
defending  all  rights  and  liberties.  Hutchinson,  in  terror, 
invoked  tlie  aid  of  Parliament.  "  This  unhappy  contest," 
said  Samuel  Adams,  "  will  end  in  rivers  of  blood  ;  but  Amer- 
ica may  wash  her  hands  in  innocence." 

The  relations  of  the  colonies  to  the  Parliament  of  Great 
Britain  were  fully  discussed,  and  several  spirited  messages 
passed  between  the  General  Court  and  the  governor.  "  I  stand 
amazed  at  the  governor,"  wrote  John  Adams  in  his  diary, 
"  for  forcing  on  this  controversy.  He  will  not  be  thanked 
for  this.  His  ruin  and  destruction  must  spring  out  of  it, 
either  from  the  ministry  and  Parliament,  on  the  one  hand, 
or  from  his  countrymen.  Ho  has  reduced  himself  to  a  most 
ridiculous  state  of  distress."  ^  At  the  same  time  the  gover- 
nor endeavored  to  conceal  his  chagrin,  and  still  insisted  that 
"  Parliament  would,  by  some  means  or  other,  maintain  its 
supremac}'."  ^  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  contro- 
versy, Hutchinson  seems  to  have  been  adverse  to  the  adop- 
tion of  any  conciliatory  measures,  and  to  have  wished  only 
to  be  subservient  to  the  crown. 

The  project  of  raising  a  revenue  from  America  was  again 
debated.  The  colonial  tax  of  threepence  on  the  pound  was 
still  assessed  on  tea ;  and  Lord  North  declared  that  this 
should  not  be  abandoned.  But  already  the  colonists  had 
voted  to  import  no  more  tea ;  and  even  the  wives  and  daugh- 
ters of  tlie  yeomanry  of  ^Massachusetts  had  cheerfully  agreed 
to  abstain  from  the  use  of  tea  altogether.  When  the  tidings 
arrived  that  Londoiv  merchants  were  preparing  to  ship  tea 

'  Works,  ii.  315.  *  Bancroft,  vi,  453, 


286  HIS  TOR  V  OF  MA  SSA  CHUSE  TTS. 

to  America,  the  papers  of  the  day  declared  that,  "  whoever 
should  purchase  and  use  this  article  would  drink  political 
damnation  to  themselves."  ^  The  excitement  of  the  hour 
was  immense.  "  When  our  liberty  is  gone,"  said  Samuel 
Adams,  "  history  and  experience  will  teach  us  that  an  in- 
crease of  inhabitants  is  but  an  increase  of  slaves  ;  "  and  with 
his  usual  eloquence  he  urged  "  a  plan  of  union  j)roposed  by 
Virginia." 

On  the  3d  of  November,  1773,  at  an  early  hour,  a  flag  was 
suspended  from  Liberty  Tree,  and  at  noon,  five  hundred 
persons  assembled.  Hither  the  agents  of  the  East  India 
Company  had  been  summoned  to  resign  their  commissions. 
But  they  failed  to  appear,  and  a  special  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  wait  upon  them  at  their  stores.  The  warehouse 
of  Richard  Clarke,  in  King  Street,  was  first  visited.  "  From 
whom  are  you  a  committee  ?  "  asked  Clarke.  "  From  the 
whole  people,"  was  the  reply.  "  And  who  are  the  com- 
mittee ?  "  "I  am  one,"  responded  Molineux,  who  acted  as 
spoke^an.  "  What  is  your  request  ?  "  "  That  j^ou  give 
us  your  word  to  sell  none  of  the  teas  in  your  charge,  but 
return  them  to  London  in  the  same  bottoms  in  which  they 
were  shipped.  Are  3'ou  ready  to  comply  ?  "  "I  shall  have 
nothing  to  do  with  .you,"  was  the  response.  Similar  scenes, 
with  similar  results,  occurred  at  other  stores.^ 

On  the  5th,  the  citizens  met  in  Faneuil  Hall.  John  Han- 
cock was  chosen  moderator ;  and  a  series  of  resolves  was 
voted,  prohibiting  the  sale  of  the  Company's  teas.  On  the 
following  day  the  meeting  was  continued,  and  a  letter  from 
Hutchinson,  "  daringly  effrontive  to  the  town,"  was  read. 
Meanwhile  information  came  that  the  tea  ships  had  actually 
sailed,  and  might  soon  be  expected.     On  the  18th,  the  citi- 

>  Bradford,  i.  298.  =  Bancroft,  vi.  473,  474. 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  STRO'GGLE.  287 

zens  reassembled,  and  the  consignees  were  again  requested 
to  resign.  "  We  have  received  no  orders  from  the  East 
India  Company  respecting  the  teas,"  they  replied  ;  "  our 
friends  in  England  have  entered  into  general  engagements 
ill  our  behalf,  merely  of  a  commercial  nature,  which  puts  it 
out  of  our  power  to  comply  with  the  request  of  the  town."  ^ 
The  agents  refused,  therefore,  to  resign,  and  applied  to  the 
governor  for  aid.  But  the  Council  declined  acting  on  the 
petition,  and  the  merchants  were  left  to  shift  for  themselves. 

On  the  22d,  the  committees  of  Boston,  Roxburj^  Dorches- 
ter, Brookline,  and  Cambridge  met  in  convention  in  Faneuil 
Hall.  The  question  was  put,  "  Whether  it  be  the  mind  of 
this  committee  to  use  their  joint  influence  to  prevent  the 
landing  and  sale  of  the  teas  exported  from  the  East  India 
Company  ?  "  An  affirmative  response  being  given,  a  circular 
letter  was  sent  to  the  other  towns,  soliciting  their  concur- 
rence. Four  days  later,  Cambridge  moved  that,  "  as  it  is 
very  apparent  that  the  town  of  Boston  is  now  struggling 
for  the  liberties  of  the  country,  it  is  therefore  resolved, 
that  this  town  can  no  longer  stand  idle  spectators,  but  are 
ready,  on  the  shortest  notice,  to  join  with  the  town  of  Boston 
and  other  towns  in  any  measure  that  may  be  thought  proper 
to  deliver  ourselves  and  posterity  from  slavery."  On  the 
next  day  Charlestown  imitated  this  example. 

On  the  28th,  Sunday,  one  of  the  ships,  laden  with  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  chests  of  tea,  arrived  in  Boston  harbor. 
On  the  following  day,  at  nine  o'clock,  Faneuil  Hall  was  filled 
with  citizens.  So  great  was  the  concourse,  that  an  adjourn- 
ment was  made  to  the  Old  South  Meeting  House.  Jonathan 
Williams  was  chosen  moderator,  and  the  proceedings  of  the 
meeting  were  conducted  in  full  harmony.     At  the  instance 

'  Hutchinson,  iii.  42G. 


288  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  Samuel  Adams,  it  was  resolved,  that  "  the  tea  should  be 
sent  back  to  the  place  from  whence  it  came,  at  all  events, 
and  that  no  duty  should  be  paid  on  it."  The  consignees 
requested  time  "  for  consultation,"  which  was  granted  ;  and 
a  watch  of  twenty-five  persons  was  appointed  to  guard  the 
"Dartmouth" — such  was  the  name  of  the  ship  —  during 
the  night.  The  next  morning,  the  consignees  promised  to 
store  the  teas  until  otherwise  advised  ;  and  a  proclamation 
from  the  governor  warned  the  crowd  to  disperse.  After 
having  exacted  from  the  master  and  owner  of  the  ship  a 
promise  that  the  teas  should  be  returned,  and  having  voted 
to  carry  into  effect  their  former  resolves,  "  at  the  risk  of  their 
lives  and  properties,"  the  assembly  adjourned.  Meanwhile 
the  other  ships  arrived,  and  the  crisis  drew  near. 

At  ten  by  the  clock  on  the  morning  of  the  eventful  16th  of 
December,  the  citizens,  with  two  thousand  from  the  country, 
again  met  in  the  Old  South.  It  was  reported  that  Rotch, 
the  owner  of  the  Dartmouth,  had  been  refused  a  clearance. 
"  Sh^ll  we  abide  by  our  resolutions  ?  "  it  was  asked.  Adams 
and  Young  said  "  Yes."  Quincy,  however,  advised  discre- 
tion. •"  Our  hands  have  been  put  to  the  plough,"  cried  the 
people  ;  "  we  must  not  look  back."  Without  delay,  seven 
thousand  people  voted  to  prevent  the  landing  of    the  tea.^ 

The  Old  South  was  dimly  lighted.  It  had  been  dark  an 
hour,  when  Rotch  appeared,  and  reported  that  the  governor 
had  refused  him  a  pass.  Whilst  a  momentary  silence  reigned, 
Samuel  Adams  arose  and  said,  "  This  meeting  can  do  noth- 
ing more  to  save  the  country."  Instantly  a  loud  shout  was 
heard,  and  forty  or  fifty  men,  disguised  as  Indians,  rushed 
out  of  the  porch  of  the  Old  South,  hurried  to  Griffin's  Wharf, 
took  possession  of  the  three  tea  ships,  and  there,  breaking 

'  Hutchinson,  iii.  435,  seq. 


THE  PROGRESS  OF   THE  STRUGGLE.  289 

open  the  chests,  poured  their  contents  into  the  sea.  This 
work  was  conducted  with  perfect  order ;  and  when  the  deed 
was  done,  the  patriots,  rejoicing  at  the  success  of  their  en- 
terprise, retired  to  their  homes.  "  This,"  wrote  Hutchinson, 
"  was  the  boldest  stroke  which  had  yet  been  struck  in  Amer- 
ica."^ "This,"  wrote  Adams,  "is  the  most  magnificent 
movement  of  all.  There  is  a  dignity,  a  majesty,  a  sublimit}' 
in  this  last  effort  of  the  patriots  that  I  greatly  admire.  The 
people  should  never  rise  without  doing  something  to  be 
remembered.  The  destruction  of  the  tea  is  so  bold,  so  daring, 
so  firm,  intrepid,  and  inflexible,  and  it  must  have  so  impor- 
tant consequences,  and  so  lasting,  that  I  cannot  but  consider 
it  an  epocha  in  history."  ^ 

The  governor  knew  not  what  to  do,  and  was  almost  in  a 
state  of  frenzy.  The  House  were  against  him,  the  Council 
were  against  him,  while  the  committees  of  correspondence 
were  more  elate  than  ever.  On  the  26th  of  January,  1774, 
was  held  a  meeting  of  the  Court.  The  governor,  in  his 
address,  spoke  disapprovingly  of  the  appointment  of  commit- 
tees of  correspondence.  The  House  rejoined  that,  "  while 
the  common  rights  of  the  American  subjects  continued  to 
be  attacked,  at  times  when  the  several  assemblies  were  not 
sitting,  it  was  highly  necessary  that  they  should  correspond 
with  each  other,  in  order  to  unite  in  the  most  effectual  means 
for  the  obtaining  a  redress  of  their  grievances."  ^ 

On  the  7th  of  March  the  destruction  of  the  tea  at  Boston 
was  communicated  to  both  Houses  of  Parliament  by  an 
address  from  the  throne.  Some  days  later  a  bill  was  brought 
in  for  the  punishment  of  Boston.  "  You  cannot,"  said  Rose 
Fuller,  "  carry  this  bill  into  execution  without  a  military 
force.     But  if  you  send  over  a  small  number  of  men,  the 

'  Hist.,  iii.  439.         "  Works,  ix.  333.        '  Bradford's  State  Papers,  411,  seq. 

19 


290  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Boston  militia  will  immediately  cut  them  to  pieces  ;  if  you 
send  over  a  larger  number,  six  or  seven  thousand,  the 
Americans  will  debauch  them  ;  and  by  these  means  we  shall 
only  hurt  ourselves.  I  would  begin  by  an  amercement." 
"  We  must  proceed  to  some  immediate  remedy,"  said  Lord 
North.  "  Now  is  our  time  to  stand  out,  to  defy  them,  to 
proceed  with  firmness,  and  without  fear.  They  will  never 
reform  until  we  take  a  measure  of  this  kind.  I  hope  this 
act  will  not,  in  any  shape,  require  a  military  force  to  put 
it  into  execution.  Four  or  five  frigates  will  do  the  busi- 
ness, without  any  military  force.  But  if  the  consequences 
of  disobedience  are  likely  to  produce  rebellion,  these  con- 
sequences belong  to  them,  and  not  to  us.  It  is  not  what 
we  have  brought  on,  but  what  they  alone  have  occasioned. 
We  are  only  answerable  that  our  measures  are  iust  and  equi- 
table. Let  us,  then,  proceed  with  firmness,  justice,  and 
resolution."  The  voice  of  Barre  thundered  through  the 
hall,  "  Keep  your  hands  out  of  the  pockets  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  they  will  be  obedient  subjects.  Parliament  may 
fancy  they  have  rights  in  theory,  which,  I'll  answer  for, 
they  can  never  reduce  to  practice."  During  the  ensuing 
discussion,  Dowdeswell,  Pownall,  and  Edmund  Burke  de- 
fended the  Americans.  But  the  measures  of  the  king  and 
the  ministers  were  not  to  be  changed ;  and  on  the  29th 
the  Bill,  closing  the  port  of  Boston,  passed  the  House  of 
Lords  unanimously.^ 

In  April  another  bill  was  passed  by  Parliament,  by  which 
the  executive  power  was  wrested  from  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, and  the  Council  made  elective  by  the  crown. 
The  royal  governor  was  to  have  the  power  to  appoint  and 
to  remove  all  judges  ;  and  juries  were  to  be  nominated  only 

1  Pari.  Deb.,  vii.  86-104.     Bancroft,  vi.  518,  seq. 


THE  PROGRESS   OF  THE  STRUGGLE.  291 

bv  the  sheriffs.  Town  meetings  could  be  convoked  only  by 
the  will  of  the  governor,  and  no  subjects  could  be  discussed, 
iu  the  town  meetings,  that  were  not  approved  by  him.  In 
case  any  person  should  be  indicted  for  a  capital  offence,  the 
governor  was  empowered,  at  his  discretion,  to  send  such 
persons  to  England  for  trial.  At  the  same  time  it  was 
ordered  that  Samuel  Adams,  "  the  chief  of  the  revolution," 
should  be  arrested,  and  that  proceedings  against  him  should 
be  instituted  without  further  delay. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  General  Gage  arrived  in  Boston, 
and  "was  cordially  welcomed  by  all  the  officers  of  gov- 
ernment, the  selectmen,  and  "  a  number  of  other  gentle- 
men." On  the  same  day  his  commission  was  publicly  read 
as  civil  governor  and  commander-in-chief,  and  the  oath 
of  office  was  administered  by  the  president  of  the  Coun- 
cil. Hutchinson  was  now  superseded,  and  martial  law 
was  fully  established  in  Boston.  "  Shall  the  Boston  Port 
Bill  be  enforced  ?  "  was  the  question  propounded  by  General 
Gage.  Hutchinson,  the  admiral,  and  the  commissioners  of 
customs  agreed  that  it  should  be  carried  into  effect.  On 
the  1st  of  June  the  bill  went  into  effect ;  the  courts  were 
suspended,  and  the  custom-house  was  closed.  While  the 
church  bells  tolled  in  mourning,  Hutchinson  and  his  family 
sailed  for  England,  never  more  to  return.  Before  the 
summer  had  closed  four  regiments  of  troops  were  quartered 
in  the  town,  and  an  additional  force  had  been  ordered  from 
other  localities. 

Meanwhile  a  discussion  had  been  carried  on  in  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  and  a  plan  of  union  had  been  matured.  On 
the  17th  of  June  the  governor  was  informed  of  these 
proceedings,  and  commissioned  his  secretary  to  dissolve  the 
Court.     But  the  House  took  no  notice  of  the  message.     On 


292  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

the  same  day  the  citizens  again  assembled  in  Faneuil  Hall, 
and,  with  John  Adams  in  the  chair,  voted  that  the  com- 
mittee of  correspondence  be  "  enjoined  forthwith  to  write 
to  all  the  other  colonies,  acquainting  them  that  we  are 
not  idle ;  that  we  are  deliberating  upon  the  steps  to  be 
taken  in  the  present  exigencies  of  our  public  affairs ;  that 
our  brethren,  the  landed  interest  of  this  province,  with 
an  unexampled  spirit  and  unanimity,  are  entering  into  a 
non-consumption  agreement ;  and  that  we  are  waiting  with 
anxious  expectation  for  the  result  of  a  Continental  Con- 
gress, whose  meeting  we  impatiently  desire,  in  whose 
wisdom  and  firmness  we  confide,  and  in  whose  determina- 
tions Ave  shall  cheerfully  acquiesce."  ^  From  this  time 
onward  the  patriots  were  in  earnest.  Every  attention  was 
paid  to  military  discipline,  and  preparations  for  a  final  con- 
test with  Great  Britain  were  daily  going  on.  Throughout 
the  whole  province  people  "  were  never  more  firm  and 
zealous,  and  they  looked  to  the  last  extremity  with  spirit 
and  resolution."  In  places  where  government  influence 
most  prevailed,  nothing  was  to  be  "  seen  or  heard  of  ex- 
cept the  purchasing  of  arms  and  ammunition,  the  casting 
of  balls,  and  the  making  of  all  those  preparations  which 
testify  the  most  immediate  danger  and  determined  resist- 
ance." 2 

The  position  of  Gage  was  not  one  to  be  envied.  His 
excessive  arrogance  and  superciliousness  rendered  his  pres- 
ence more  obnoxious  than  even  that  of  Bernard.  He  was 
""  neither  fit  to  reconcile  nor  to  subdue.  By  his  mild  temper 
and  love  of  society  he  gained  the  good  will  of  his  own  com- 
panions, and  escaped  personal  enmities,  but  in  earnest  busi- 

'  Boston  News  Letter  for  June  23,  1774. 
*  Gordon's  Am.  Rev.,  i.  249. 


THE  FIWGRESS  OF  THE  STRUGGLE.  293 

ness  he  inspired  neither  confidence  nor  fear.  He  had 
promised  the  king  that  with  four  regiments  he  would  play 
the  '  lion,'  and  troops  beyond  his  requisition  were  hourly 
expected.  His  instructions  enjoined  upon  him  the  seizure 
and  condign  punishment  of  Samuel  Adams,  Hancock,  Joseph 
Warren,  and  other  leading  patriots ;  but  he  stood  in  such 
dread  of  them  that  he  never  so  much  as  attempted  their 
arrest."  ^ 

Public  meetings  and  county  conventions  continued  to 
be  held  almost  daily.  In  vain  did  the  governor  seek  to 
disperse  these  meetings  and  to  protect  the  courts ;  and, 
as  his  next  step,  he  attempted  to  secure  all  the  cannon  and 
powder  of  the  province.  On  the  1st  of  September  a 
royal  detachment  marched  to  the  powder-house  on  Quarry 
Hill,  in  Somerville,  and  carried  off  all  its  contents.  Sev- 
eral field  pieces  were  captured  in  Cambridge  and  taken  to 
Castle  William.  These  seizures  roused  the  whole  province, 
and  kindled  a  flame  which  could  not  easily  be  quenched. 
In  terror.  Gage  resolved  to  erect  fortifications  on  tlie  Neck, 
which  commanded  the  entrance  to  the  town  of  Boston. 
By  the  9th  of  September  two  twentj'-four  pounders  and 
eight  nine  pounders  had  been  mounted  in  this  locality,  and 
a  body  of  troops  stationed  to  keep  watch. 

Whilst  these  hostile  preparations  were  in  progress,  the 
Continental  Congress  assembled  at  Carpenter's  Hall  in  Phil- 
adelphia. It  was  on  the  5th  of  September.  Peyton  Ran- 
dolph, of  Virginia,  was  chosen  president.  The  most  eminent 
and  influential  men  in  America  were  present,  and  all  of 
them  were  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  business 
which  they  were  called  upon  to  transact.  After  the  con- 
vention had  opened  with  prayer,  Patrick  Henry,  the  great 

*  Bancroft,  vii.  38. 


294  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Demosthenes  of  his  day,  arose  and  addressed  his  constitu- 
ents. He  recounted  the  rights  of  the  people,  and  wherein 
tliey  had  been  infringed ;  and  Henry  Lee  took  up  the 
thread  of  the  story,  and  charmed  the  senses  of  his  hearers 
with  exquisite  imagery.  Three  weeks  were  spent  in  read- 
ing addresses,  appointing  committees,  and  getting  ready  for 
business.  On  the  27th  it  was  resolved,  "  that  from  and 
after  the  first  day  of  December  next  there  be  no  impor- 
tation into  British  America,  from  Great  Britain  or  Ireland, 
of  any  goods,  wares,  or  merchandise  whatever,  or  from 
any  other  place  of  any  such  goods,  wares,  or  merchandises 
as  shall  have  been  exported  from  Great  Britain  or  Ireland ; 
and  that  no  such  goods,  <fec.,  imported  after  the  said  first 
day  of  December  next  shall  be  used  or  purchased."  ^  A  re- 
solve was  passed,  three  days  later,  that,  "  from  and  after 
the  tenth  day  of  September,  1775,  the  exportation  of  all 
merchandise,  and  every  commodity  whatsoever,  to  Great 
Britain,  Ireland,  and  the  West  Indies,  ought  to  cease,  un- 
less the  grievances  of  America  are  redressed  before  that 
time." 

In  the  following  month  a  loyal  address  to  the  king  was 
prepared ;  a  declaration  of  rights,  embodied  in  eleven  arti- 
cles, was  passed,  and  able  addresses  to  the  peoples  of  Eng- 
land and  of  Canada  were  draughted  and  sent.  After  a 
session  of  seven  weeks,  the  Congress  was  dissolved.  "  The 
world  has  hardly  ever  seen,"  it  was  written  at  the  time, 
"  any  assembly  that  had  fnatters  of  greater  consequence 
before  them,  that  were  chosen  in  a  more  honorable  man- 
ner, were  better  qualified  for  the  high  trust  reposed  in 
them,  executed  it  in  a  more  faithful,  judicious,  and  effect- 
ual manner,  or  were  more  free  and  unanimous  in  their  con- 

'  Journal  Cont.  Cong.,  i.  21. 


THE   PROGRESS   OE  THE  STRUGGLE.  295 

elusions,  than  this.  Their  proceedings  are  all  drawn  with 
a  masterly  hand  ;  the  expediency  of  every  adopted  meas- 
ure is  clearly  pointed  out  ;  and  the  whole  plan  is  so  well 
calculated,  so  tempered  with  goodness  and  wisdom,  with 
mildness  and  resolution,  so  guarded  by  precedence  and  sup- 
ported by  reason,  that  in  all  probability  it  can  hardly  fail 
of  the  desired  effect."  ^ 

"While  the  Congress  was  yet  in  session,  a  hostile  fleet  lay 
in  the  harbor  of  Boston,  and  a  hostile  army  was  parading 
its  streets.  The  port  was  closed,  the  wharves  were  de- 
serted; but  the  "Sons  of  Liberty"  knew  no  despair. 
From  every  hearthstone  the  song  arose,  — 

"Boston,  be  not  dismayed! 
Though  tyrants  now  oppress, 
Though  fleets  and  troops  invade, 
You  soon  will  have  redress ; 
The  resolution  of  the  brave 
Will  injured  Massachusetts  save." 

The  whole  people  were  preparing  to  make  an  armed 
resistance  to  British  aggression ;  but  such  was  the  quiet 
which  everywhere  prevailed,  that  Gage  and  his  officers 
began  to  flatter  themselves  that  faction  was  subdued. 

On  the  7th  of  '  October  the  General  Court  of  Massachu- 
setts was  convened  at  Salem.  From  this  time  onward  the 
members  constituted  a  Provincial  Congress,  of  which 
John  Hancock  was  chosen  president.  On  the  17th,  a  letter 
from  the  governor  warned  them  of  the  "  rock  they  were 
upon,"  and  commanded  them  to  "  desist  from  such  illegal 
and  unconstitutional  proceedings."  One  of  the  earliest 
measures  of  this  Congress  was  to  provide  for  the  organization 

'  Boston  Evening  Post,  for  Nov.  14th. 
*  Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  39. 


296  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  a  militia,  and  for  the  increase  of  the  quantity  of  war- 
like stores.  The  towns  in  the  province  were  advised  to 
"  see  that  each  of  the  minute-men^  not  ah-eady  provided 
therewith,  should  be  immediately  equipped  with  an  effective 
fire-arm,  bayonet,  pouch,  knapsack,  and  thirty  rounds  of 
cartridge  and  balls,  and  be  disciplined  three  times  a  week, 
and  oftener  as  oj)portunity  may  offer."  ^  Other  matters 
were  taken  up,  and  after  providing  for  calling  a  future 
Congress,  the  assembly  was  dissolved. 

When  the  new  year  opened,  thirty-five  hundred  of  the 
king's  troops  were  garrisoned  in  Boston.  Gage  wrote  vaunt- 
ingly  to  Dartmouth  that,  "if  a  respectable  force  is  seen 
in  the  field,  the  most  obnoxious  of  the  leaders  seized,  and 
a  pardon  proclaimed  for  all  others,  government  will  come 
off  victorious,  and  with  less  opposition  than  was  expected 
a  few  months  ago."  ^  But  Gage  had  fallen  behind  the 
truth,  and  had  miscalculated  the  strength  and  will  of  his 
opponents.  Once  at  Marshfield,  and  a  second  time  at 
Salem,  Gage,  by  the  presence  of  a  military  force,  sought 
to  bring  the  patriots  to  terms  of  allegiance.  Their  vigilance, 
however,  thwarted  all  his  plans. 

About  this  time,  Josiah  Quincy,  Junior,  who  had  recently 
arrived  in  London,  was  attending  the  debates  in  Parliament. 
Hutchinson  and  Bernard  were  both  urging  "  measures  against 
America,"  and  giving  the  "  most  positive  assurances  of  suc- 
cess." Lord  North  had  said,  "  We  must  try  what  we  can 
do  to  support  the  authority  we  have  claimed  over  America ; 
if  we  are  defective  in  power,  we  must  sit  down  contented, 
and  make  the  best  terms  we  can."  ^  Said  the  Earl  of 
Chatham,  in  the   House    of  Lords,    "  The   hour   of   danger 

'  Journal  Prov.  Cong.,  33.,  scq.  ^  Gordon,  i.  283. 

'  Sparks,  Washington,  iii.  507. 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  STRUGGLE.  297 

must  arrive ;  unless  these  fatal  acts  of  the  last  session  are 
done  away,  it  must  arrive  in  all  its  horrors.  There  ought, 
therefore,  to  be  no  delay  in  this  matter  ;  we  should  proceed 
to  it  immediately.  But  it  is  not  merely  repealing  these  acts 
that  can  win  back  America  to  your  bosom.  You  must  re- 
peal her  fears  and  her  resentments  ;  and  you  may  then  hope 
for  her  love  and  gratitude.  We  shall  be  forced  ultimately  to 
retract ;  let  us  retract  while  we  can,  not  when  we  must. 
Whoever  advises  the  enforcement  of  these  acts  must  do  so 
at  his  peril.  They  must  be  repealed  ;  you  will  repeal  them  ; 
I  pledge  myself  for  it,  that  you  will,  in  the  end,  rej)eal  them. 
I  stake  my  reputation  on  it.  I  will  consent  to  be  taken  for 
an  idiot  if  they  are  not  finally  repealed.  ■  Repeal,  therefore, 
my  lords  ;  Repeal,  I  say !  Thus  will  you  convince  Amer- 
ica that  you  mean  to  try  her  cause  in  the  spirit  and  by  the 
laws  of  freedom  and  fair  inquiry,  and  not  by  codes  of  blood. 
How  can  she  trust  you,  with  the  bayonet  at  her  breast? 
She  has  all  the  reason  in  the  world  to  believe  you  mean  her 
death  or  bondage.  Avoid,  then,  this  humiliating,  disgrace- 
ful necessity.  To  conclude,  if  the  ministers  thus  persevere 
in  misadvising  and  misleading  the  king,  I  will  not  say  that 
they  can  alienate  the  affections  of  his  subjects  from  the 
crown,  but  I  will  affirm  that,  the  American  jewel  out  of  it, 
they  will  make  the  crown  not  worth  his  wearing.  I  will  not 
say  that  the  king  is  betrayed  ;  but  I  will  say  that  the  nation 
is  ruined."  ^ 

Camden,  Shelburne,  and  Rockingham  coincided  with  the 
'views  expressed  by  Chatham.  Most  of  the  manufacturing 
towns  in  the  kingdom  also  entertained  similar  opiuions. 
But  the  ministers  Avere  opposed  to  any  such  reconciliation. 
Instead  of  recalling  the  troops,  they  were   for  sending  out 

'  Gordon,  Am.  Rev.,  i.  286-290. 

38 


298  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

more  if  necessary.  "  I  will  have  America  at  my  feet,"  was 
the  motto  of  Lord  North.  When,  finally,  the  "question  was 
taken,  but  fifteen  favored  the  motion  of  repeal,  while  sixty- 
eight  opposed  it.  Some  days  later  Chatham  sought  again 
to  arouse  the  nation  to  a  sense  of  its  danger,  but  in  vain. 
Reconciliation  was  not  to  be  thought  of ;  and  the  friends  of 
America  were  powerless  to  avert  the  impending  struggle. 
"Your  countrymen,"  wrote  they,  "must  seal  their  cause 
with  their  blood.  They  must  not  delay.  They  must  resist, 
or  be  trodden  down  into  the  vilest  vassalage  —  the  scorn,  the 
spurn  of  their  enemies,  a  byword  of  infamy  among  all  men."  ^ 
The  time  for  heroic  valor  was  already  at  hand  ;  the  signal  had 
been  given  ;  the  watchfires  of  the  revolution  were  kindled. 
The  day-star  of  Liberty  was  soon  to  rise  upon  America. 

'  Gordon,  i.  284. 


LEXINGTON  AND   CONCORD.  299 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


LEXINGTON    AND    CONCORD. 


In  pursuance  of  a  just  policy,  and  in  anticipation  of  an  early 
collision  with  Great  Britain,  the  committees  of  safety  and  sup- 
plies had  collected  and  deposited  at  Concord  large  quantities 
of  military  stores.  About  the  middle  of  March,  1775,  it  was 
rumored  that  General  Gage  was  determined  to  destroy  them  ; 
and  a  guard  was  accordingly  stationed  for  their  security,  and 
messengers  were  engaged  in  Charlestown,  Cambridge,  and 
Roxbury  to  give  the  alarm  should  any  such  attempt  be  made. 
At  this  time  Gage  had  under  his  command,  in  Boston  and 
vicinity,  no  less  than  four  thousand  troops  ;  and  it  was  well 
known  that  Generals  Howe,  Clinton,  and  Burgoyne  had  been 
ordered  to  join  him.  Neither  of  these  commanders  had  any 
confidence  in  the  gallantry  and  strength  of  the  provincials ; 
but  regarded  them  as  cowards,  easily  intimidated  and  sub- 
dued. How  different  was  the  spirit  that  animated  the  pa- 
triots!  "The  people,"  wrote  Gushing,  "are  not  dismayed. 
Should  the  administration  determine  to  carry  into  execution 
the  late  acts  by  military  force,  they  will  make  the  last  appeal. 
They  are  determined  life  and  liberty  shall  go  together." 
Warren  wrote,  "  America  must  and  will  be  free.  The 
contest  may  be  severe, — the  end  will  be  glorious.  We 
would  not  boast,  but  we  think,  united  and  prepared  as  we 
are,  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  of  success,  if  we  should  be 
compelled  to  make  the  last  appeal  ;    but  we  mean    not   to 


300  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

make  that  appeal  until  we  can  be  justified  in  doing  it  in  the 
sight  of  God  and  man."  ^ 

Towards  the  middle  of  April  a  doubt  no  longer  prevailed 
that  General  Gage  was  bent  upon  destroying  the  magazines 
collected  at  Concord  ;  for  on  the  pretence  of  learning  a  new 
military  exercise,  the  grenadiers  and  light  infantry  were 
relieved  from  duty,  and  at  night  the  boats  belonging  to  the 
transport  ships  were  launched  and  moored  under  cover  of 
the  men-of-war.  Josepli  "Warren  sent  tidings  of  these  sus- 
picious movements  to  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams,  who 
were  in  Lexington  ;  and  without  delay  the  committee  of 
safety  took  additional  measures  for  the  security  of  the  stores, 
and  even  removed  a  portion  of  them  to  Sudbury  and  Groton. 

On  Tuesday,  the  18th,  a  dozen  British  ofiQcers,  acting  upon 
Gage's  orders,  stationed  themselves  on  the  roads  leading  out 
of  Boston,  for  the  purpose  of  interrupting  expresses  sent  out 
to  alarm  the  country.  That  day  the  committee  of  safety  met 
at  Wetherby's  tavern,  in  West  Cambridge,  now  Arlington. 
Three  of  the  committee,  Gerry,  Orne,  and  Lee,  passed 
the  night  at  the  tavern  ;  two  others,  Devens  and  Watson, 
rode  over  towards  Charlestown  ;  but  meeting  several  mount- 
ed officers  on  the  way,  they  returned  to  warn  their  friends. 
A  message  was  at  once  despatched  to  Hancock  and  Adams 
to  acquaint  them  of  what  was  going  on,  and  the  receipt 
of  these  tidings  caused  the  people  of  Lexington  to  adopt 
precautionary  measures.  When  Devens  arrived  in  Charles- 
town,  he  was  told  that  the  British  troops  were  in  motion  in 
Boston.  A  few  moments  later  a  lantern  was  displayed  by 
Paul  Revere  in  the  upper  window  of  the  tower  of  the  North 
Church  in  Boston,  —  the  signal  of  danger  which  had  been 
agreed  upon. 

'  Frothinghani's  Siege  of  Boston,  53,  seq. 


LEXINGTON  AND   CONCORD,  301 

Meanwhile  Gage  was  perfecting  his  plans  in  secret,  as  he 
PTipposcd.  Lord  Percy  alone  was  in  his  confidence.  In  the 
evening  the  latter  strolled  through  the  Common.  "  The 
British  troops  have  marched,  but  will  miss  their  aim !  "  said 
one  of  a  group  of  men  whom  he  passed.  "  "What  aim  ?  " 
asked  Lord  Percy.  "  Why,  the  cannon  at  Concord."  Gage 
was  notified  of  the  conversation  ;  and  he  at  once  gave  orders 
that  no  one  should  leave  town.  About  eleven  o'clock,  how- 
ever, Paul  Revere  rowed  across  the  river  to  Charlestown, 
secured  a  horse,  and  started  to  alarm  the  country. 

"  A  hurry  of  hoofs  in  a  village  street, 
A  shape  in  the  moonlij^ht,  a  bulk  in  the  dark, 
And  beneath  from  the  pebbles,  in  passing,  a  spark 
Struck  out  by  a  steed  flying  fearless  and  fleet  : 
That  Avas  all !     And  yet,  through  the  gloom  and  the  light, 
The  fate  of  a  nation  was  riding  that  night ; 
And  the  spark  struck  out  by  that  steed,  in  his  flight. 
Kindled  the  land  into  flame  with  its  heat." 

Revere  passed  through  INIedford,  and  about  midnight, 
arrived  in  Lexington,  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Jonas  Clark, 
where  Hancock  and  Adams  Avere  stopping.  Upon  requesting 
admission,  he  was  told  by  one  of  the  guard  stationed  near 
the  house  that  the  family,  before  retiring,  had  requested  that 
the}'  might  not  be  disturbed  by  any  noise.  "  Noise  !  "  replied 
the  hero  of  Middlesex  ;  "  you'll  have  noise  enough  before 
long ;  the  regulars  are  coming."  Revere  was  admitted  ;  and 
shortly  afterwards  William  Dawes  rode  up,  with  the  tidings 
that  "  a  large  body  of  the  king's  troops,  supposed  to  be  a  bri- 
gade of  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred,  had  embarked  in  boats  from 
Boston,  and  gone  over  to  Lechmere's  Point,  in  Cambridge, 
and  it  was  suspected  they  were  ordered  to  seize  and  destroy 
the  stores  belonging  to  the  colony,  deposited  at  Concord." 

About  one  o'clock  the  hardy  and  independent  yeomanry 


802  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  Lexington  were  aroused  ;  and  an  hour  later,  the  mihtia 
were  assembled  on  the  common.  Captain  John  Parker  was 
in  command  ;  the  roll  was  called,  and  the  men,  one  hundred 
and  thirty  in  number,  were  ordered  to  load  with  powder  and 
ball.  The  night  being  chilly,  they  were  then  dismissed, 
most  of  them  going  into  Buckman's  tavern.  Meanwhile  the 
regulars  were  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  Lexington 
meeting-house,  and  were  still  swiftly  approaching.  At  half 
past  four  in  the  morning.  Captain  Parker  ordered  the  drum 
to  beat,  alarm  guns  to  be  fired,  and  the  company  to  form  into 
position.  A  little  later,  Major  Pitcairn,  with  six  companies 
of  light  infantry,  came  in  sight.  He  halted  a  moment,  or- 
dered his  troops  to  "prime  and  load,"  and  then  to  march 
forward  in  double-quick  time.  Captain  Parker  saw  that  it 
would  be  useless  to  contend  against  this  superior  force,  and 
immediately  commanded  his  own  men  not  to  fire  unless  they 
were  fired  upon.  Just  then  Colonel  Smith,  Major  Pitcairn, 
and  another  officer  rode  forward,  and  when  within  a  few  rods 
of  the  militia,  one  of  them  cried  out,  "  Ye  villains,  ye  rebels, 
disperse  1 "  Major  Pitcairn  shouted,  "  Lay  down  your  arms, 
damn  you  1  Why  don't  you  lay  down  your  arms  ?  "  and  he 
immediately  discharged  his  pistol  towards  the  few  men  before 
him,  as  they  were  retreating.  The  patriots  would  not  obey  ; 
whereupon  Colonel  Smith,  brandishing  his  sword,  advanced 
and  gave  the  order  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Fire  !  by  God,  fire !  " 
The  first  guns,  few  in  number,  did  no  execution ;  but  a  gen- 
eral discharge  which  followed  brought  eighteen  Americans 
to  the  ground,  eight  of  whom  were  killed.  Such  was  the 
result  of  the  bloody  massacre  on  Lexington  Common.  The 
British  troops  re-formed,  fired  another  volley,  and  gave  three 
loud  huzzas  in  token  of  their  savage  butchery.  Colonel 
Smith,  with  the  remainder  of  his  force,  soon  joined  Pitcairn, 


LEXINGTON  AND   CONCORD.  303 

and  the  whole  detachment  pushed  on  towards  Concord,  a 
distance  of  about  six  miles. 

Meanwhile  the  alarm  had  spread  in  Concord.  Dr.  Samuel 
Prescott,  a  warm  patriot,  had  roused  the  whole  people,  and 
the  committee  of  safety,  the  military  officers,  and  prominent 
citizens  were  assembled  for  consultation.  The  road  from 
Lexington  to  Concord  entered  from  the  south-east,  along  the 
side  of  a  hill  which  commences  on  the  right  of  it  about  a 
mile  below  the  village,  rises  abruptly  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet 
above  the  road,  and  terminates  at  the  north-easterly  part  of 
the  square.  The  top  forms  a  plain,  which  commands  a  view 
of  the  town.  On  this  plain  was  the  liberty  pole  ;  and  near 
the  present  county-house  stood  the  court-house.  The  main 
branch  of  the  Concord  River  flows  sluggishly  on  the  westerly 
and  northerly  side  of  the  village,  about  half  a  mile  from  its 
centre.  Two  bridges  crossed  this  river,  —  one  called  the  Old 
South  Bridge,  the  other,  by  the  Rev.  William  Emerson's, 
called  the  Old  North  Bridge.  Beyond  the  latter,  the  road 
conducted  to  Colonel  James  Barrett's,  about  two  miles  from 
the  centre  of  the  town. 

The  first  man  in  Concord  that  made  his  appearance  after 
the  alarm  was  sounded,  was  the  Rev.  William  Emerson,  with 
his  gun  in  hand.  By  three  o'clock  everybody  was  awake  in 
the  village.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  and  a  few  of  the  militia, 
under  the  leadership  of  Colonel  Barrett,  were  engaged  in 
removing  the  military  stores  into  the  woods  and  by  places 
for  safety  ;  while  the  minute-men  were  stationed  as  guards 
at  the  North  and  South  bridges,  and  at  other  points.  In 
case  of  alarm,  it  was  agreed  to  meet  at  Amos  Wright's 
tavern,  —  a  building  still  in  existence. 

It  was  a  little  before  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when 
the   British   were   seen  marchinc:    toward   town.     It   was  a 


304  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

lovely  morning  ;  the  fruit  trees  were  in  blossom,  and  the 
grass  and  grain  had  grown  sufficient!}'  high  to  Avave  with  the 
wind.  On  the  hill  near  the  liberty  pole  stood  a  small  band 
of  Americans,  consisting  of  Concord,  Acton,  and  Lincoln 
men,  under  the  command  of  Captain  George  Minot.  When 
the  British,  in  overwhelming  numbers,  had  arrived  within  a 
few  rods'  distance,  the  Americans  fell  back  to  an  eminence, 
about  eighty  rods  in  the  rear,  and  formed  "into  two  battal- 
ions," "  Let  us  stand  our  ground,"  said  William  Emerson  ; 
"if  we  die,  let  us  die  here." 

The  British  troops  marched  into  Concord  in  two  divisions, 
—  one  by  the  main  road,  and  the  other  on  the  hill  north  of 
it,  from  which  the  Americans  had  just  retired.  The  centre 
of  the  town  was  soon  occupied  by  Colonel  Smith  with  the 
grenadiers.  Captain  Parsons,  with  six  light  companies, 
marched  to  the  North  Bridge,  where  he  left  three  companies 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Laurie,  and  then,  with  the 
remaining  three,  proceeded  to  the  residence  of  Colonel  Bar- 
rett. Captain  Pole  was  sent  to  secure  the  South  Bridge. 
The  British  were  not  very  successful  in  the  work  of  destruc- 
tion. In  the  centre  of  the  town,  however,  they  broke  open 
nearly  sixty  barrels  of  flour,  knocked  off  the  trunnions  of 
three  cannon,  burnt  sixteen  new  carriage  wheels,  and  set 
fire  to  the  court-house.  Many  valuable  stores  were  con- 
cealed, and  saved  by  the  shrewdness  of  the  citizens. 

When  the  troops  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  dwelling  of 
Captain  Timothy  Wheeler,  the  miller,  the  latter  received 
them  in  a  friendly  manner.  He  asked  them  to  sit  down,  to 
refresh  themselves  with  bread  and  cheese  and  cider,  which 
they  did.  Soon  after  the  soldiers  went  out,  and  were  about 
to  break  open  the  corn-house.  Captain  Wheeler  begged 
them  not  to  split  the  door,  as  he  would  himself  freely  open 


LEXINGTON  AND   CONCORD.  305 

it.  "  Gentlemen,"  suicl  he,  "  I  am  a  miller.  I  improve 
those  mills  yonder,  by  which  I  get  my  living,  and  every  gill 
of  this  flour,"  — at  the  same  time  planting  his  hand  on  a  bag 
of  flour  that  was  really  his  own,  —  "I  raised  and  manufac- 
tured on  my  own  farm,  and  it  is  all  my  own.  This  is  my 
storehouse.  I  keep  my  flour  here  until  such  time  as  I  can 
make  a  market  for  it."  "  Well,  I  believe  you  are  a  pretty 
honest  old  chap,  and  don't  look  as  if  j^ou  would  hurt  any- 
body, and  we  won't  meddle  with  you,"  responded  the  offi- 
cer ;  and  he  ordered  his  men  to  march  on. 

Already  the  British  troops  had  been  in  Concord  nearly 
two  hours  ;  and  in  the  mean  time  the  militia  of  Concord  and 
Lincoln,  joined  by  their  brethren  from  Carlisle,  Chelmsford, 
"Westford,  Littleton,  and  Acton,  in  all  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  in  number,  had  assembled  on  the  high  grounds,  near 
the  North  Bridge,  and  were  formed  in  line  by  Joseph  Hos- 
mer,  acting  adjutant.  The  purpose  of  the  Americans  was  to 
dislodge  the  guard  at  the  North  Bridge.  It  was  a  hazardous 
undertaking ;  but  anxious  apprehensions  failed  to  weaken 
valor.  "  I  haven't  a  man  that's  afraid  to  go,"  remarked  the 
brave  Captain  Isaac  Davis,  of  Acton.  A  brief  consultation 
of  officers  took  place  ;  after  which,  Colonel  Barrett  ordered 
the  militia  to  march  to  the  bridge,  and  to  pass  it,  but  not  to 
fire  until  they  were  fired  upon.  The  companies  advanced, 
under  the  command  of  INIajor  John  Buttrick,  in  double  file 
and  with  trailed  arms. 

As  soon  as  the  British  guard,  stationed  near  the  west  end 
of  the  bridge,  discovered  the  approach  of  the  provincials, 
they  crossed  the  bridge,  and  took  up  a  position  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  as  if  for  a  fight.  Presently  the  Americans 
neared  the  scene  of  action,  and  placed  themselves  in  close 
proximity  to  the  bridge.  On  the  instant  one  of  the  regulars, 
39 


306  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

a  sharpshooter,  stepped  from  the  ranks  and  fired  his  musket. 
The  discharge  was  immediately  followed  by  a  volley,  which 
killed  Captain  Isaac  Davis  and  Abner  Hosmer,  and  wounded 
others.  On  seeing  the  effect  of  the  fire,  Major  Buttrick 
turned  to  his  men,  and  exclaimed  impetuously,  "  Fire,  fellow- 
soldiers  !  for  God's  sake,  fire  !  "  The  firing  lasted  but  a  few 
minutes,  when  the  British  broke  and  fled  in  great  confu- 
sion. Although  hotly  pursued  by  the  provincials,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  joining  the  main  body  in  the  centre  of  the  town. 

By  this  time  the  old  drums  that  had  beat  at  Louisburg  and 
Quebec  were  sounding  on  all  the  roads  leading  to  Concord. 
"  Now  the  war  has  begun,"  said  Noah  Parkhurst,  of  Lincoln, 
to  a  comrade,  "  and  no  one  knows  when  it  will  end."  The 
short  and  sharp  action  at  the  North  Bridge  changed  the 
position  of  affairs  in  Concord.  From  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning  the  British  had  held  possession  of  the  town  ;  but 
with  the  first  shot  the  Americans  had  assumed  the  offensive. 

At  half  past  ten,  probably.  Colonel  Smith  concentrated 
his  entire  force  in  the  centre  of  the  town  preparatory  to 
his  return  to  Boston.  At  twelve  o'clock  the  British  left 
the  village,  in  the  same  order  as  they  had  entered.  While 
the  commanding  officer  knew  that  his  safety  lay  only  in  an 
immediate  evacuation  of  Concord,  he  felt  also  that  the 
return  march  would  be  an  exceedingly  hazardous  one,  for  the 
whole  country  seemed  as  if  ''  men  came  down  from  the 
clouds."  The  provincials  were  ever  on  the  track  of  their 
enemy.  Leaving  the  North  Bridge,  the  former  proceeded 
across  "  the  great  fields  "  to  the  Bedford  road,  where  they 
were  joined  by  the  Reading  minute-men,  and  shortly  after- 
wards, by  those  from  Billerica.  The  Americans  adopted  no 
military  order  ;  at  one  blow  they  became  almost  an  indepen- 
dent people,  and  on  the  pursuit,  each  man  was  his  own  gen- 


LEX  IXC  Toy  AXD   CONCORD.  307 

eral,  chose  liis  own  time,  his  own  position,  and  his  own  mode 
of  attack. 

"  A  little  before  we  came  to  Merriam's  Hill,"  writes  one 
of  the  provincials,  "  we  discovered  the  enemy's  flank  guard, 
of  about  eighty  or  one  hundred  men,  who,  on  their  retreat 
from  Concord,  kept  that  height  of  land,  the  main  body  in  the 
road.  Tlic  British  troops  and  the  Americans  at  that  time 
were  equally  distant  from  Merriam's  house.  About  twenty- 
rods  short  of  that  place  the  Americans  made  a  halt.  The 
British  marched  down  the  hill,  with  very  ^low  but  steady 
step,  without  music,  or  a  word  being  spoken  that  could  be 
heard.  Silence  reigned  on  both  sides.  As  soon  as  the 
British  had  gained  the  main  road,  and  passed  a  small  bridge 
near  that  corner,  they  faced  about  suddenly,  and  fired  a 
volley  of  musketry  upon  us.  They  overshot ;  and  no  one, 
to  my  knowledge,  was  injured  by  the  fire.  The  fire  was 
immediately  returned  by  the  Americans,  and  two  British 
soldiers  fell  dead,  at  a  little  distance  from  each  other,  in  the 
road,  near  the  brook." ^ 

The  British  troops  continued  to  retreat,  while  the  fire  of 
the  Americans  was  poured  upon  them  from  every  quarter. 
The  contest  near  the  Brooks  tavern,  on  the  old  road,  was 
short  and  sharp.  All  along  the  woody  defiles  the  British 
suffered  terribly.  At  Fisher's  Hill,  in  Lexington,  Colonel 
Smith  received  a  severe  wound  in  his  leg  ;  and  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill  a  personal  contest  took  place  between  James  Hay- 
ward,  of  Acton,  and  a  British  soldier.  The  latter  levelled 
his  gun,  saying,  "  You  are  a  dead  man  !  "  "  And  so  are 
you,"  replied  Hayward.  Both  fired.  The  soldier  was  killed 
instantly  ;  and  Hayward,  being  mortally  wounded,  died  the 
next  day.     The  militia  of  Lexington,  mindful  of  what  they 

'  Ripley's  History. 


308  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

had  suffered  nine  or  ten  hours  previously,  now  improved 
their  opportunity  to  retaliate.  Captain  Parker  and  his  men 
gave  the  enemy  a  warm  reception.  Confusion  ensued  ;  and 
for  some  time  the  British  officers  in  V^in  tried  to  restore 
discipline.  Furthermore  their  ammunition  began  to  fail, 
while  their  light  companies  were  so  fatigued  as  to  be  almost 
unfitted  for  service.  It  was  well  known  that,  if  re-enforce- 
ments had  not  arrived,  Colonel  Smith  would  have  sur- 
rendered his  entire  command  rather  than  have  occasioned 
further  slaughter. 

It  was  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  brigade 
of  eleven  hundred  men,  with  two  field  pieces  and  a  provision 
train,  under  the  command  of  Lord  Hugh  Percy,  entered  Lex- 
ington. They  had  arrived  from  Boston,  in  response  to  a 
request  for  aid  which  Smith  had  sent  to  Gage  early  in  the 
morning.  Their  coming  checked  for  a  while  the  eager  pur- 
suit of  the  Americans,  and  saved  the  regiment  of  Colonel 
Smith  from  annihilation.  So  fatigued  were  the  British 
soldiers  at  this  critical  moment  that  "  they  were  obliged  to 
lie  down  upon  the  ground,  their  tongues  hanging  out  of  their 
mouths  like  those  of  dogs  after  a  chase." 

After  a  brief  respite  the  British  resumed  their  march, 
followed  and  harassed  by  the  provincials.  Every  height 
was  filled  with  minute-men,  and  at  every  defile  the  contest 
was  bloody.  Meanwhile  the  British  burned  houses,  barns, 
and  shops  which  lay  along  their  route.  In  Cambridge,  the 
skirmishing  again  became  sharp  and  bloody,  and  the  troops 
increased  their  atrocity.  The  unarmed,  the  aged,  and  the 
infirm,  who  were  unable  to  flee,  were  bayoneted  and  mur- 
dered in  several  instances  in  their  habitations.  Leaving 
West  Cambridge,  the  British  took  the  road  that  winds  round 
Prospect  Hill.     When  they  arrived  at  the  hill,  their  situation 


LEXINGTON  AND   CONCORD.  309 

again  became  critical.  Their  progress  was  impeded  by  the 
large  numbers  of  the  wounded ;  only  a  few  rounds  of  ammu- 
nition remained  ;  their  cannon  had  lost  their  terror  ;  while 
all  around  the  country  was  alive  with  provincials.  A  strong 
force  was  advancing  upon  them  from  Roxbury,  Dorchester, 
and  Milton  ;  and  Colonel  Pickering,  with  seven  hundred  of 
the  Essex  militia,  threatened  to  cut  off  their  retreat  to 
Charlestown. 

At  length,  about  sunset,  with  the  aid  of  Percy's  brigade, 
the  enemy  were  enabled  to  reach  Bunker  Hill  without  being 
entirely  captured  or  destroyed.  There  they  were  under  the 
protection  of  the  guns  of  the  men-of-war  lying  in  the  har- 
bor. One  hour  later,  and  both  detachments  of  the  British 
would  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  Colonel 
Smith's  regiment  had  marched  about  forty  miles  in  twent^^ 
hours,  and  endured  incredible  suffering  on  the  retreat. 
Percy's  brigade  was  ten  hours  on  the  road,  and  had  marched 
twenty-six  miles,  and  for  half  that  time  and  half  that  distance 
they  too  were  a  target  for  the  enraged  American  sharp- 
shooters. 

The  Americans  who  joined  in  the  pursuit,  which  began  at 
the  old  North  Bridge  in  Concord,  came  from  Acton,  Bedford, 
Billerica,  Brookline,  Beverly,  Concord,  Carlisle,  Chelmsford, 
Cambridge,  Charlestown,  Dan  vers,  Dedham,  Dorchester, 
Framingham,  Lexington,  Lincoln,  Lynn,  Littleton,  Medford, 
Milton,  Needham,  Newton,  Pepperell,  Roxbury,  Reading, 
Sudbury,  Stow,  Salem,  Woburn,  Watertown,  and  Westford. 
Thirty-one  towns  !  Such  is  the  distinguished  roll  of  honor 
represented  in  the  opening  fight  of  the  Revolution.  Of  the 
Americans  who  suffered  between  Concord  River  and  Bunker 
Hill,  forty-nine  were  killed,  thirty-six  were  wounded,  and  five 
were  missing.     The  loss  of  the  British  comprised  seventy- 


310  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

three  killed,   one   hundred  and  seventy-two  wounded,  and 
twenty-six  missing. 

The  War  of  the  Revolution  had  begun ;  and  the  effect  of 
the  tidings  of  the  first  conflict  was  very  great,  both  in  the 
colonies  and  in  Great  Britain.  In  the  former,  the  news 
spread  with  wonderful  rapidity ;  and  in  every  quarter  the 
people  assembled,  and  prepared  to  join  their  brethren  of 
Massachusetts  in  defence  of  their  liberties.  "  What  a  glo- 
rious morning  is  this  ! "  exclaimed  Samuel  Adams,  when  he 
heard  the  sound  of  the  guns  at  Lexington.  He  knew  that 
it  was  the  morning  of  Freedom  ;  and  that  the  final  triumph 
of  the  American  cause  was  at  hand. 


BUAKER  HILL,   AND    THE   SIEGE   OF  BOSTON.      311 


CHAPTER    XV. 

BUNKER  HILL,  AND   THE   SIEGE   OF   BOSTON. 

The  events  of  the  great  day  of  Lexington  and  Concord 
battle  changed  the  American  cause  from  commercial  war  to 
armed  resistance.  At  this  time  the  colonies  were  in  the 
relation  of  Union,  with  a  basis  of  brotherhood,  common 
peril,  and  a  common  object.  Its  embodiment  was  the  gov- 
ernment of  congresses  and  committees  inaugurated  by  the 
Continental  Congress. 

After  the  fight,  the  Provincial  Congress  met  at  Water- 
town  to  take  measures  for  the  "  salvation  of  the  country." 
"  Our  all,"  it  was  said,  "  is  at  stake.  Death  and  devasta- 
tion are  the  consequences  of  delay.  Every  moment  is 
infinitely  precious.  An  hour  lost  may  deluge  the  country 
in  blood,  and  entail  perpetual  slavery  upon  the  few  of 
our  posterity  who  may  survive  the  carnage."  ^  On  the 
23d  of  April  it  was  voted,  "  that  an  army  of  thirty  thou- 
sand men  be  immediately  raised,  and  that  thirteen  thou- 
sand six  hundred  be  raised  by  this  province."  ^  Provisions 
were  made  for  defraying  the  expenses  ;  the  committee  of 
safety  w\as  ordered  to  "  bring  in  a  plan  for  the  establish- 
ment of  the  officers  and  soldiers,"  and  special  committees 
were  sent  to  the  New  Hampshire  Congress,  and  to  Con- 
necticut and  Rhode  Island,  to  request  concurrence.  General 
Artemus   Ward    now    assumed   command    of  the    provincial 

'  Jour.  Prov.  Cong.,  147.  ^  Ucm,  HtJ. 


312  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

troops.  In  a  few  days,  the  army  was  joined  by  Putnam, 
of  Connecticut,  and  Stark  and  Sargent,  of  New  Hampshire, 
whose  services  at  this  juncture  were  valuable. 

The  situation  of  tlie  people  of  Boston,  at  this  time,  was 
most  distressing.  They  were  not  only  cut  off  from  inter- 
course with  their  friends  in  the  country,  but  were  exposed 
to  dangers  of  countless  number.  Before  the  month  closed, 
those  who  wished  to  do  so,  removed  with  all  their  effects 
from  the  town,  after  pledging  themselves  to  maintain  fieu- 
trality  for  a  season.  Hundreds  took  advantage  of  this 
privilege.  The  inhabitants  of  Charlestown  had  already  left 
that  town  ;  in  such  numbers,  indeed,  that  just  before  the 
date  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  scarcely  two  hundred  re- 
mained out  of  a  population  of  nearly  three  thousand. 

The  organization  and  equipment  of  the  provincial  army 
were  carried  on  as  matters  of  primary  importance.  Massa- 
chusetts was  daily  adding  to  the  number  of  her  enlist- 
ments ;  Rhode  Island  had  voted  to  raise  fifteen  hundred 
men  ;  Connecticut,  six  thousand,  and  New  Hampshire,  two 
thousand.  In  May,  General  Ward  recommended  that  there 
should  be  procured  "  thirty  twenty-four  pounders ;  and  if 
that  number  of  cannon  cannot  be  obtained,  that  the  weight 
of  metal  should  be  made  up  with  eighteen  pounders,  double 
fortified  ;  ten  twelve  pounders,  and  eighteen  nine  pound- 
ers, with  twenty  one  thousand  six  hundred  pounds  of 
powder,  and  eighty  balls  for  each  gun."  ^  About  the 
same  time  the  erection  of  fortifications  was  commenced 
at  Cambridge  ;  the  Neck  between  Boston  and  Roxbury  was 
secured,  and  the  troops  in  Roxbury  were  re-enforced.  On 
the  10th  of  May  the  second  Continental  Congress  assembled 
at  Philadelphia.     The   delegates  from  Massachusetts   urged 

'  Jour.  Prov.  Cong.,  2-19.' 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND   THE  SIEGE   OF  BOSTON.      313 

the  adoption  of  measures  for  the  relief  of  Boston.  John 
Adams  also  urged  "  the  adoption  of  the  army  in  Cam- 
bridge as  a  continental  army,  the  officers  of  which  should  be 
appointed,  and  the  provisions  for  its  support  made,  by  the 
General  Congress."  ^  On  the  15th  of  June,  George  Wash- 
ington, of  Virginia,  was  unanimously  chosen  Commander-in- 
chief  of  the  American  army.  This  step  was  of  the  greatest 
importance,  and  was  the  corner-stone,  indeed,  of  the  new 
structure  to  be  raised.  Four  days  later.  General  Ward 
was  elected  as  the  second  officer,  and  General  Lee  as  the 
third. 

Meanwhile  Gage  had  declared  martial  law  to  be  in 
force,  and  had  offered  pardon  to  all  who  would  lay  down 
their  arms,  "  excepting  only  from  the  benefit  of  such 
pardon  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock,  whose  offences 
are  of  too  flagitious  a  nature  to  admit  of  any  other  con- 
sideration than  that  of  condign  punishment."  ^  This  proc- 
lamation, which  served  only  to  show  the  situation  of  its 
author,  and  his  anger  toward  the  patriots,  was  brought  be- 
fore the  Provincial  Congress,  who  at  once  prepared  a  counter 
proclamation,  granting  pardon  to  all  offenders  against  the 
rights  and  liberties  of  the  country,  "  excepting  only  from 
the  benefit  of  such  pardon  Thomas  Gage  and  Samuel 
Graves,  with  the  mandamus  councillors  Sewall,  Paxton, 
and  Ilallowell,  who  had  not  resigned  their  office,  and  all 
the  natives  of  America,  not  belonging  to  the  navy  or 
army,  who  went  out  with  the  troops  on  the  nineteenth 
of  April  last,  and  were  countenancing,  aiding,  and  assist- 
ing: them  in  the  robberies  and  murders  then  committed."  ^ 
The   recruits   for  Gage's   army,  already  numbering    upward 

>  Adams,  "Works,  ii.  407.  ^  Jour.  Prov.  Cong.,  344-347. 

*  rrothingham,  Siege,  113. 

40 


314  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  five  thousand  men,  arrived  in  the  last  of  May.  By 
the  middle  of  June,  his  force  was  increased  to  nearly  ten 
thousand  ;  and  with  Generals  Clinton,  Howe,  and  Burgoyne 
as  his  under  officials,  Gage  was  in  high  spirits,  and  was 
flushed  with  the  idea  of  an  easy  conquest. 

There  were  continual  reports  that  the  British  intended 
to  sally  out  of  Boston  ;  and  the  Committee  of  Safety  and 
the  Council  of  AVar  were  determined  to  prevent  this  if 
possible.  On  the  15th  of  June  the  Committee  voted  that 
immediate  possession  should  be  taken  of  "  the  hill,  called 
Bunker's  Hill,  in  Charlestown,"  and  that  "  some  one  hill 
or  hills  on  Dorchester  Neck  be  likewise  secured."  The 
army  was  then  placed  in  the  following  position :  General 
Ward's  headquarters  were  at  Cambridge,  Avhere  the  cen- 
tre division  of  the  army  was  stationed,  consisting  of  fifteen 
Massachusetts  regiments,  the  artillery  under  Colonel  Grid- 
ley,  and  General  Putnam's  Connecticut  troops.  The  right 
wing,  under  General  Thomas,  consisting  of  about  four 
thousand  troops,  was  at  Iloxbur3^  General  Greene's  Rhode 
Island  forces,  and  Spencer's  Connecticut  regiment,  were  at 
Jamaica  Plain.  Of  the  left  wing  of  the  army,  three  com- 
panies under  Gerrish  were  at  Chelsea.  Stark's  New  Hamp- 
shire regiment  was  at  Medford  ;  Reed's  regiment  was  at 
Charlestown  Neck,  with  sentinels  reaching  to  Bunker  Hill. 
Including  drummers,  the  provincial  army  numbered  seven 
thousand  six  hundred  and  forty -four  men.^ 

On  Friday,  the  IGth  of  June,  measures  were  taken  to 
fortify  Bunker  Hill.  Orders  were  issued  to  Colonel  William 
Prescott,  to  Frye,  Bridge,  Knowlton,  and  Gridley,  com- 
manding in  all  twelve  hundred  men,  and  supplied  with 
a   day's   provisions  and    suitable   intrenching   tools,  to  pro- 

*  Frothingham,  Siege,  117,  seq. 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND    THE   SIEGE   OE  BOSTON.      815 

ceed  to  Charlestown,  and  to  fortify  Bunker  Hill.  After 
a  parade  on  Cambridge  Common,  and  after  listening  to  a 
fervent  prayer  from  President  Langdon,  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege, the  detachment  commenced  its  march  about  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening.  At  Charlestown  Neck  the  troops 
halted ;  a  portion  of  the  troops  proceeded  to  the  lower 
part  of  the  town  as  a  guard,  while  the  main  body  marched 
on  over  Bunker  Hill.  Ward's  order  was  to  "  fortify  Bun- 
ker Hill ; "  but  at  a  consultation,  which  was  held  by  Pres- 
cott  and  the  other  officers,  a  position  now  known  as  Breed's 
Hill,  seemed  better  adapted  to  the  object  of  the  expedition, 
and  better  suited  to  the  daring  spirit  of  the  provincial  yeo- 
manr}'.  Breed's  Hill  was  accordingly  chosen  as  the  basis 
of  operations ;  and,  as  hurriedly  as  possible,  the  plan  of 
the  fortifications  was  marked  out  by  Gridley,  the  tools 
v.-ere  distributed,  and  about  midnight  the  men  began  to 
work. 

Anxious  to  the  patriot  laborers  were  the  watches  of  that 
star-light  night.  In  the  waters  below  were  anchored  the 
British  men-of-war,  five  in  all,  and  several  floating  bat- 
teries. Along  the  shore  could  be  heard  at  intervals  the 
"  All  is  well !  "  of  the  American  sentinels.  Colonel  Pres- 
cott  "  was  often  heard  to  say  that  his  great  anxiety  that 
night  was  to  have  a  screen  raised,  however  slight,  for  his 
men  before  they  were  attacked,  Avhich  he  expected  would 
be  early  in  the  morning,  as  he  knew  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult, if  not  quite  impossible,  to  make  raw  troops,  however 
full  of  patriotism,  to  stand  in  an  open  field  against  artillery 
and  well-armed  and  well-disciplined  soldiers.  He  there- 
fore strenuously  urged  on  the  work  ;  and  every  subaltern 
and  private  labored  with  spade  and  pickaxe,  without  inter- 
mission, through    the    night,  and   until    they  resumed   their 


816  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

muskets  near  the  middle  of  the  next  da3\  Never  were 
men  in  worse  condition  for  action,  —  exhausted  by  watch- 
ing, fatigue,  and  hunger,  —  and  never  did  old  soldiers 
behave  better."  As  the  sun  rose,  a  redoubt,  eight  rods 
square  and  six  feet  high,  was  completed  on  the  summit 
of  the  hill,  where  the  monument  now  stands.  On  the  east, 
was  an  extensive  field ;  and  "  in  a  line  with  this,  run- 
ning down  the  north  side  of  the  hill  toward  the  slough, 
was  a  breastwork,  which,-  at  its  southern  extremity,  was 
separated  from  the  redoubt  by  a  narrow  passage-way." 
The  redoubt  faced  the  town,  and  protected  the  south  side 
of  the  hill ;  in  the  rear  was  a  passage,  opening  toward  the 
slough., 

At  early  dawn,  on  the  17th  of  June,  the  fortifications 
were  descried  by  sailors  on  board  the  men-of-war.  The 
captain  of  the  "  Lively "  opened  fire  at  once  ;  and  the 
roaring  of  the  cannon  created  alarm  in  the  British  camp, 
and  summoned  the  population  of  Boston  into  the  streets. 
Whilst  the  cannonade  continued  from  several  of  the  frig- 
ates and  the  batteries,  Gage  called  a  council  of  war.  In 
the  mean  time  Prescott  himself  mounted  the  parapet,  and 
encouraged  his  men  with  words  of  humorous  cheer.  His 
tall,  manly  form  Avas  discerned  by  Gage,  as  he  was  re- 
connoitring the  Americans  through  his  glass.  "  Who  is  the 
person  who  appears  to  command  ?  "  he  asked  of  Coun- 
cillor Willard.  The  latter  recognized  his  brother-in-law. 
"Will  he  fight?"  asked  Gage.  "Yes,  sir;  he  is  an  old 
soldier,  and  will  fight  as  long  as  a  drop  of  blood  remains  in 
his  veins  !  "  "  The  works  must  be  carried,  then,"  concluded 
the  general. 

As  the  day  advanced,  the  heat  became  oppressive,  and 
the  brave  men  behind  the  fortifications  were  suffering  from 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND   THE  SIEGE   OF  BOSTON.      317 

the  want  of  food  and  drink.  Some  of  the  officers  urged 
Prescott  to  send  for  relief ;  hut  the  Latter  refused  to  do 
so.  "  The  enemy,"  he  said,  "  would  not  dare  to  attack 
them  ;  and  if  they  did,  would  be  defeated ;  the  men  who 
had  raised  the  works  were  the  best  able  to  defend  them  ; 
already  they  had  learned  to  despise  the  fire  of  the  enemy  ; 
they  had  the  3&nerit  of  the  labor,  and  should  have  the 
honor  of  the  victory."  A  little  later,  however,  Prescott 
consented  to  send  for  additional  troops  and  supplies,  and 
Major  John  Brooks  was  despatched  for  this  purpose.  About 
eleven  o'clock.  General  Ward  ordered  the  whole  of  the 
regiments  of  Colonels  Stark  and  Reed  to  re-enforce  Colonel 
Prescott  ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  companies  stationed  at 
Chelsea  were  recalled. 

Meanwhile  General  Gage  had  resolved  to  carry  the  works, 
and,  early  in  the  morning,  had  held  a  council  of  war  for 
the  purpose  of  determining  on  the  plan  of  operations.  "  It 
is  impossible  for  the  rebels  to  withstand  our  arms  a 
moment,"  remarked  Gage  to  General  Timothy  Ruggles. 
"  Sir,"  replied  the  latter,  "  you  do  not  know  with  whom 
you  have  to  contend.  These  are  the  very  men  who  con- 
quered Canada.  I  fought  with  them  side  by  side ;  I  know 
them  well ;  they  will  fight  bravely.  My  God,  sir,  your 
folly  has  ruined  your  cause  ! "  It  was  then  decided  to  attack 
the  fortifications  in  front ;  and,  at  noon,  ten  companies 
of  grenadiers,  ten  of  light  infantry,  four  battalions  of  in- 
fantry, with  a  corps  of  artillery,  were  embarked  in  boats 
from  the  North  Battery  and  from  the  end  of  Long  "Wharf. 
Two  ships  of  war  moved  up  Charles  River  to  join  with 
the  "  Somerset,"  the  floating  batteries,  and  the  battery  on 
Copp's  Ilill,  in  firing  on  the  works.  It  was  a  beautiful 
day  ;    the  "  sun  was  shining  in  meridian  splendor  ;  and  the 


318  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

scarlet  uniforms,  the  glistening  armor,  the  brazen  artillery, 
the  regular  movement  of  the  boats,  the  flashes  of  fire,  and 
the  belchings  of  smoke,  formed  a  spectacle  brilliant  and 
imposing."  At  one  o'clock  the  troops  were  landed  at 
Moulton's  Point,  and  were  formed  into  three  lines.  The 
boats  were  all  ordered  back  to  Boston. 

General  Howe,  the  commander  of  the  fcfrce,  having  ex- 
amined the  American  works,  and  found  them  more  for- 
midable than  he  had  anticipated,  applied  to  General  Gage 
for  re-enforcements.  Pending  the  arrival  of  the  latter,  the 
troops  dined.  To  many  a  brave  man  it  proved  his  last 
meal.  At  two  o'clock,  and  also  at  three,  the  British 
were  re-enforced  ;  and  the  greatest  anxiety  prevailed  at  the 
intrenchments  on  Breed's  Hill.  At  Cambridge  there  was 
noise  and  confusion.  The  bells  were  rung,  the  drums  beat 
to  arms,  and  orders  were  given  for  troops  to  march  and 
oppose  the  enemy.  The  whole  of  the  reserve,  save  Ward's 
own  regiment,  those  of  Gardner  and  Patterson,  and  part 
of  Bridge's,  marched  over  to  Charlestown.  General  Joseph 
Warren,  who  "  could  not  be  constrained  by  the  entreaty 
of  his  brethren  of  the  Congress,"  felt  it  to  be  his  duty 
to  plunge  into  danger.  On  Bunker  Hill  he  met  General 
Putnam,  who  offered  to  receive  orders  from  him.  "  I  am 
here  only  as  a  volunteer,"  replied  Warren.  "  I  know 
nothing  of  your  dispositions,  nor  will  I  interfere  with 
them.  Tell  me  where  I  can  be  most  useful."  Putnam 
directed  him  to  the  redoubt,  saying,  "  There  you  will  be 
covered."  "  Don't  think  I  came  to  seek  a  place  of  safety," 
continued  Warren,  "  but  tell  me  where  the  onset  will  be 
most  furious."  Putnam  again  named  the  redoubt.  Upon 
arriving  at  the  redoubt,  Warren  was  tendered  the  command 
by   Colonel   Prescott,   who   observed   that    the   former  had 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND    THE  SIEGE   OF  BOSTON      319 

been  appointed  a  major-general  by  the  Provincial  Congress, 
a  few  days  before.  "  I  shall  take  no  command  here," 
said  Warren.  *'  I  have  not  yet  received  my  commission. 
I  came  as  a  volunteer,  with  my  musket,  to  serve  under 
you,  and  shall  be  happy  to  learn  of  a  soldier  of  your  ex- 
perience." 

At  three  o'clock  the  American  defences  were  lined  nearly 
in  the  following  manner  :  Colonel  Prescott,  with  the  original 
detachment,  except  the  Connecticut  troops,  were  stationed 
at  the  redoubt  and  the  breastwork.  Captain  Gridley's 
jirtillery  company  held  a  position  between  the  breastwork 
and  rail  fence,  where  it  was  soon  joined  by  the  artillery 
company  of  Captain  Callander.  On  the  right  of  the  re- 
doubt were  other  troops  ;  and  at  the  rail  fence  were  the 
New  Hampshire,  Connecticut,  and  a  few  of  the  Massachu- 
setts forces.  Here,  also,  was  General  Putnam  at  the  be- 
ginning of  action.  The  Massachusetts  troops,  as  they  came 
on  to  the  field,  "  appear  to  have  marched  to  the  redoubt, 
and  were  directed  to  take  the  most  advantageous  positions. 
In  doing  this,  parts  of  regiments,  and  even  companies  that 
came  on  together,  broke  their  ranks,  divided,  and  subse- 
quently fought  in  various  parts  of  the  field,  in  platoons  or  as 
individuals,  rather  than  under  regular  commands."  ^ 

The  British  troops  were  now  all  landed,  and  numbered, 
probably,  not  less  than  three  thousand.  They  were  com- 
manded by  General  Howe,  an  officer  of  merit  and  braver}'  ; 
and  under  him  were  Pigot,  Nesbit,  Abercrombie,  Clarke, 
Butler,  Williams,  Bruce,  Spendlove,  Smelt,  Mitchell,  Pit- 
cairn,  Short,  Small,  and  Lords  Percy  and  Rawdon.  Pre- 
vious to  the  action,  General  Howe  addressed  his  army. 
"  Remember,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  we  have  no  recourse  to 

'  Frothingham. 


320  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

any  resources,  if  we  lose  Boston,  but  to  go  on  board  our 
ships,  which  will  be  very  disagreeable  to  us  all."  The 
batteries  had  already  commenced  firing,  and  a  general  dis- 
charge of  the  artillery  was  intended  to  cover  the  advance 
of  the  British  columns. 

At  length  the  troops  moved  forward  in  two  divisions,  — 
the  right,  under  General  Howe,  toward  the  rail  fence,  the 
left,  under  General  Pigot,  to  storm  the  breastwork  and 
redoubt.  To  his  chagrin.  General  Howe  discovered  that 
twelve  pound  balls  had  been  sent  to  load  his  six  pound 
guns,  and  he  therefore  ordered  the  pieces  to  be  charged 
with  grape.  The  advance  of  the  artillery,  however,  was 
greatly  impeded  by  the  miry  ground  at  the  base  of  the 
hill,  and  that  of  the  infantry  was  hindered  by  tlie  tall 
grass  and  the  fences.  "  Let  us  take  the  bull  by  the  horns," 
shouted  the  men,  thinking  to  scatter  the  Americans  at  the 
first  charge.  "  Wait  until  you  see  the  white  of  their  eyes, 
—  aim  at  the  handsome  coats,  —  pick  off  the  commanders," 
said  the  provincial  officers.  At  length  the  enemy  came 
within  gunshot,  —  onl}'-  eight  rods  separated  the  contend- 
ing parties.  The  order  was  given,  —  "Fire  low!"  and 
from  redoubt  and  breastwork  a  terrific  volley  mowed  down 
the  enemy.  With  "  surly  reluctance,"  General  Pigot  Avas 
obliged  to  retreat.  In  the  mean  time  General  Howe  was 
leading  the  right  wing  against  the  rail  fence.  A  mur- 
derous discharge  welcomed  him,  and  the  flying  bullets 
were  true  to  their  message.  So  great  was  the  carnage, 
that  the  British  columns  were  disconcerted,  partly  broken, 
and  forced  to  retreat.  The  Americans  supposed  that  they 
"  had  driven  the  enemy."  They  saw  the  veterans  of  Eng- 
land fleeing  before  their  fire,  and  felt  a  new  confidence  in 
themselves. 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND    THE  SIEGE   OF  BOSTON.       321 

Colonel  Prescott  was  sure,  however,  that  the  attack 
would  be  renewed  ;  and  General  Putnam  rode  forward  to 
Bunker  Hill,  and  to  the  rear  of  it,  to  urge  on  re-enforce- 
ments. Without  loss  of  time,  Gener.al  Howe  rallied  his 
troops,  and  ordered  another  assault.  They  advanced  as 
before,  and  under  the  same  difficulties.  At  this  juncture, 
Charlestown  was  set  on  fire;  and  "  turning  their  eyes 
thitherward,  the  Americans,  to  their  horror,  saw  dense  clouds 
of  smoke  ascending,  and  the  forked  flames,  from  churches 
and  dwellings,  shooting  and  glaring  upon  the  evening  sky."  ^ 
"  Sure  I  am,"  wrote  Burgoyne,  "  nothing  ever  has  or  can 
be  more  dreadfully  terrible  than  what  was  to  be  seen  or 
heard  at  this  time.  The  most  incessant  discharge  of  guns 
that  ever  was  heard  with  mortal  ears."  When  the  British 
had  advanced  within  six  rods,  the  Amei'icans  fired.  Whole 
ranks  of  officers  and  men  were  prostrated ;  stream  after 
stream  of  flame  continued  to  belch  forth  ;  the  ground  in 
front  of  the  works  Avas  strewn  with  the  dead  and  wounded. 
"  My  God  !  "  exclaimed  General  Putnam,  "  I  never  saw 
such  a  carnage  of  the  human  race."  In  vain  did  the  sur- 
viving officers  urge  on  the  men.  They  were  compelled 
to  give  way,  and  to  leave  the  ground  in  confusion. 

The  British  did  not  rally  again  until  after  some  time  had 
elapsed.  Putnam  was  still  on  Bunker  Hill,  urging  forward 
re-enforcements ;  and  General  Ward  was  at  Cambridge, 
trying  to  calm  disorder.  In  the  redoubt  alone  order  pre- 
vailed. "  Colonel  Prescott  remained  at  his  post,  determined 
in  his  purpose,  undaunted  in  his  bearing,  inspiring  his  com- 
mand with  hope  and  confidence,  and  yet  chagrined  that, 
in  this  hour  of  peril  and  glory,  adequate  support  had  not 
reached  him.     He    passed  round    the  lines  to  encourage  his 

'  Barry,  iii.  35. 

41 


322  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

men,  and  assured  them  that  if  the  British  were  once  more 
driven  back,  they  could  not  be  rallied  again.  His  men 
cheered  him,  as  thej  replied,  '  We  are  ready  for  the  red 
coats  again  ! '  But  his  worst  apprehensions,  as  to  ammu- 
nition, were  realized  as  the  report  was  made  to  him  that 
a  few  artillery  cartridges  constituted  the  whole  stock  of 
powder  on  hand.  He  ordered  them  to  be  opened,  and  the 
powder  to  be  distributed.  He  charged  his  soldiers  '  not 
to  waste  a  kernel  of  it,  but  to  make  it  certain  that  every 
shot  should  tell.'  He  directed  the  few  who  had  bayonets 
to  be  stationed  at  the  points  most  likely  to  be  scaled.  These 
were  the  only  preparations  it  was  in  his  power  to  make  to 
meet  his  powerful  antogonist."  ^ 

A  third  time  General  Howe  ordered  his  men  to  advance. 
To  conquer  or  die,  was  his  fixed  resolve.  He  himself 
led  the  grenadiers  and  light  infantry  in  front  of  the  breast- 
work, while  Clinton  and  Pigot  proceeded,  with  the  extreme 
left,  to  scale  the  redoubt.  So  fierce  was  the  attack,  that 
Colonel  Prescott  became  convinced  that  the  redoubt  must 
be  carried.  The  moment  was  trying,  but  he  continued 
to  give  his  orders  coolly.  Most  of  his  men  had  remain- 
ing only  one  or  two  rounds  of  ammunition,  a  few  not 
more  than  three.  They  were  directed  to  reserve  their 
fire  until  the  enemy  were  within  twenty  yards.  The  Brit- 
ish came  on,  and  the  Americans  fired.  For  a  moment  only, 
the  columns  wavered ;  and  then,  recovering  in  an  in- 
stant, they  sprang  forward,  and  scaled  the  redoubt. 

Colonel  Prescott  ordered  a  retreat.  While  some  of  his 
men  leaped  the  walls,  others  hewed  their  way  through 
the  enemy's  ranks  ;  he  himself  "  did  not  run,  but  stepped 
long,    with   his   sword   up,"    escaping   unharmed.      At   this 

'  Frotliintihara. 


BUNKER  HILL,  AND    THE   SIEGE   OE  BOSTON.      323 

period,  the  brave  Warren,  reluctant  to  flee,  was  pierced 
by  a  ball,  and  left  on  the  field  ;  Gridley  and  Bridge  were 
wounded  ;  and  Colonel  Gardner  received  his  death  wound. 
But  still  their  men  fought  on,  reckless  of  the  well-directed 
fire  of  the  enemy.  The  force  at  the  rail  fence  maintained 
their  ground  with  great  firmness,  and,  by  resisting  every 
attempt  to  turn  their  flank,  saved  the  main  body  from  being 
cut  off.  These  brave  men,  noticing  the  retreat  of  their 
brethren  from  the  redoubt,  "  gave  ground,  but  with  more 
regularity  than  could  have  been  expected  of  troops  who 
had  been  no  longer  under  discipline."  The  whole  body 
of  the  Americans  was  now  in  full  retreat,  covered  by 
Putnam  and  his  Connecticut  troops,  who  "  dared  the  ut- 
most fury  of  the  enemy  in  the  rear  of  the  whole."  On 
Bunker  Hill,  Avhere  the  provincials  halted.  General  Put- 
nam counselled  a  renewal  of  the  engagement.  "  In  God's 
name,"  he  shouted,  '^  form,  and  give  them  one  shot  more  !  " 
and  taking  his  own  post  near  a  field  piece,  he  "  seemed 
resolved  to  brave  the  foe  alone."  The  brow  of  Bunker 
Hill  was  a  place  of  great  slaughter,  and  to  remain  longer 
was  to  invite  instant  death.  Over  the  Xeck,  therefore, 
the  Americans  crossed,  and  paused  on  Winter  and  Pros- 
pect Hills. 

At  five  o'clock,  the  British  planted  their  flag  on  Bunker 
Hill.  Thus  ended  the  battle.  The  loss  of  the  Americans, 
in  all  the  engagements,  was  one  hundred  and  fifteen  killed, 
three  hundred  and  five  wounded,  and  thirty  missing.  The 
loss  of  the  British,  according  to  the  oflScial  account,  was 
two  hundred  and  twenty-six  killed,  and  eight  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  wounded. 

The  battle  of   Bunker  Hill  was   the  first  great  battle  of 
the   revolutionary    contest.     It   proved    the    quality   of    the 


324  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

American  soldier,  and  was  a  victory,  with  all  the  moral 
effect  of  victor}^,  under  the  name  of  a  defeat.  On  the 
19th  of  June,  General  Gage,  exasperated  by  his  reverses, 
issued  a  proclamation,  requiring  all  the  inhabitants  who  had 
arms,  "  immediately  to  surrender  them  at  the  court  house." 
Only  the  tories  obeyed,  llostilities  had  now  begun,  and 
it  behooved  both  parties  to  fortify  their  positions  as  speedily 
as  possible.  By  the  Americans  intrenchments  were  thrown 
up  on  Winter  and  Prospect  Hills ;  the  headquarters  at 
Cambridge  were  strengthened  ;  a  complete  line  of  circum- 
vallation  was  extended  from  the  Charles  to  the  Mystic 
River,  and  the  right  wing  at  Roxbury  was  re-enforced. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  General  Washington,  having  arrived 
in  Cambridge  from  Philadelphia,  assumed  command  of  the 
American  army.  This  army  numbered  nearly  fifteen  thou- 
sand men,  of  whom  Massachusetts  had  furnished  nine  thou- 
sand, and  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  and  New  Hampshire 
the  residue.  The  first  care  of  the  commander-in-chief  was 
to  visit  the  different  posts,  and  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy's 
works.  He  next  applied  himself  to  the  task  of  remodel- 
ling the  army,  which  he  had  found  to  be  "  a  mixed  mul- 
titude of  people,  under  very  little  discipline,  order,  or 
government."  Orders  were  then  issued  for  the  levying  of 
fresh  troops,  and  a  request  was  made  for  gunpowder. 

Meanwhile  Washington  was  laying  his  plans  for  the  siege 
of  Boston.  To  this  end,  the  American  works  on  Winter 
Hill  were  forwarded,  and  on  the  26th  of  August,  Ploughed 
Hill,  now  Mount  Benedict,  was  occupied  and  intrenched. 
The  month  of  September  passed  quietly.  Slight  skirmishes, 
indeed,  occurred  between  the  British  regulars  and  the  Amer- 
ican sharpshooters,  but  no  remarkable  engagement.  As 
the  season  advanced,  the  weather  became  cooler,  and  prep- 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND    THE  SIEGE   OF  BOSTON.      325 

arations  were  made  for  quartering  the  British  troops  in 
tlie  houses  of  the  inhabitants.  In  the  midst  of  these  move- 
ments Gage  was  recalled,  and  General  Howe  was  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  him.  The  latter,  although  a  much 
abler,  and  more  during  officer  than  his  predecessor,  was 
not  insensible  to  his  critical  position.  To  Lord  Dartmouth 
he  confessed  frankly  that  "  the  opening  of  the  cam])aign" 
from  this  quarter  would  be  attended  Avith  great  hazard,  as 
well  from  the  strength  of  the  country  as  from  the  in- 
trenched position  the  rebels  had  taken."  Notwithstanding 
his  prospects  of  ill  success,  Howe  devoted  himself  zeal- 
ously to  the  improvement  of  his  defences.  He  repaired 
the  redoubt  on  Bunker  Hill,  and  raised  fortifications  on 
Boston  Neck.  He  hastened,  also,  the  quartering  of  his 
troops.  The  Old  South  Meeting  House  was  cleared  out 
for  a  riding  school ;  redoubts  were  thrown  up  on  the  Com- 
mon ;  an  opening  was  made  across  the  Neck  from  water 
to  water,  and  works  were  erected  to  check  incursions  from 
Roxbury.  Four  British  men-of-war  lay  anchored  in  the 
harbor ;  and  the  entire  force  of  the  British,  including 
soldiers,  sailors,  and  marines,  made  an  army  of  about  ten 
thousand  men. 

In  England,  at  this  time,  the  current  of  public  feeling 
was  turning  against  the  colonies.  It  was  openly  announced 
that  "  the  violent  measures  towards  America  are  fairly 
adopted,  and  countenanced  by  a  majority  of  individuals 
of  all  ranks,  professions,  or  occupations  in  the  country."  ^ 
"When  the  petition,  forwarded  to  the  king  by  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  in  September,  arrived,  it  was  received  in 
silence  ;  and  three  daj^s  later  the  agents  of  the  colonies 
were   informed   that   "  no    answer  would  be  given."  -     The 

'  Kamsay's  Am.  Kev.,  i.  280.  *  Mahon,  Hist.,  vi.  09. 


326  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Duke  of  Grafton  regretted  the  course  of  the  ministry,  and 
said  that  "  if  deputies  from  the  United  Colonies  could 
not  be  acknowledged  by  the  king,  other  expedients  might 
be  devised  by  which  the  wishes  and  expectations  of  his 
Majesty's  American  subjects  might  be  stated  and  properly 
considered."  ^  Shortly  afterwards  the  duke  held  an  inter- 
view with  the  king,  during  which  the  latter  affirmed  tliat 
he  had  no  intention  of  yielding  to  the  colonies,  and  "  en- 
deavored to  demonstrate,  by  calm  and  dispassionate  reason- 
ing, the  justice,  the  policy,  and  the  necessity  of  this  war, 
and  the  absolute  certainty  of  ultimate  success."  The  duke 
refused  to  sanction  such  measures,  and  at  once  resigned 
his  position  as  lord  of  the  privy  seal.  The  Earl  of  Dart- 
mouth was  appointed  as  his  successor  ;  and  the  American 
secretaryship  was  bestowed  upon  Lord  George  Germain, 
formerly  Lord  Sackville.  In  October  the  king  rehearsed 
from  the  throne  the  story  of  the  late  proceedings  in  Massa- 
chusetts, and  added,  "  It  has  now  become  the  part  of  wis- 
dom to  put  a  speedy  end  to  these  disorders  by  the  most 
decisive  exertions.  For  this  purpose  I  have  increased  my 
naval  establishment,  and  greatly  augmented  my  land  forces, 
but  in  such  a  manner  as  may  be  the  least  burdensome  to 
my  kingdoms."  ^  A  month  later  the  prohibitory  bill  of  Lord 
North,  repealing  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  and  the  two  restrain- 
ing acts  of  the  previous  session,  but  interdicting  all  com- 
merce wdth  the  insurgent  colonies,  was  passed.  Well  might 
Burke  exclaim,  in  view  of  such  legislation,  "  It  affords 
no  matter  for  very  pleasing  reflection  to  observe  that  our 
subjects  diminish  as  our  laws  increase." 

In  the  mean  time  the  war  was  progressing  in  Massachu- 
setts,   and    in    other   of    the   New    England    colonies.     The 

>  Lord  Mahon,  Hist.,  vi.  71.  '  Lord  Mahon,  Hist.,  vi.  70. 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND    THE  SIEGE   OE  BOSTON      327 

reorganization  of  the  army,  however,  was  still  a  matter 
of  dififieulty  ;  and,  although  recruiting  orders  were  issued, 
enlistments  were  very  slow.  Washington  was  Avell  nich 
discouraged.  "  Such  a  dearth  of  puLlic  spirit,"  he  wrote, 
"  and  want  of  virtue ;  such  stock -jobbing,  and  fertility 
in  all  the  low  arts,  to  obtain  advantage  on  one  hand  or 
another,  in  this  great  change  of  military  arrangement,  I 
never  saw  before,  and  pray  God  I  never  maj-  be  witness 
to  again.  .  .  .  Could  I  have  foreseen  what  I  have  expe- 
rienced, and  am  likely  to  experience,  no  consideration  upon 
earth  should  have  induced  me  to  accept  this  command. 
A  regiment,  or  any  subordinate  department,  would  have 
been  accompanied  with  ten  times  the  satisfaction,  and  per- 
haps ten  times  the  honor."  ^  Notwithstanding  his  numer- 
ous discouragements,  Washington  was  resolved  to  conclude, 
if  possible,  what  he  had  already  begun  —  the  siege  of 
Boston. 

In  November  intrenchments  were  completed  on  j\Iiller's 
Ilill  by  a  detachment  under  General  Heath,  without  re- 
ceiving any  annoyance  from  the  enemy.  December  came  ; 
and  still  the  British  showed  no  inclination  to  fight.  Their 
silence,  indeed,  was  unaccountable.  When,  at  length.  Gen- 
eral Putnam  undertook  to  raise  fortifications  on  the  hill 
adjacent  to  Lechmere's  Point,  he  was  cannonaded  by  the 
men-of-war  which  lay  near  b3%  but  was  not  prevented 
from  continuing  on  with  his  work.  Within  a  brief  period, 
two  redoubts  were  thrown  up  in  this  localit}^  which  gave 
to  the  Americans  a  commanding  position.  The  result  also 
encouraged  them  to  attempt  greater  achievements.  "  Give 
us  powder  and  authority,"  they  said,  "  and  Boston  can 
be  set  in  flames."     The  aspect  of  affairs  began  to  be  more 

'  Sparks's  Washington,  iii.  178-179. 


328  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

cheering ;  and  the  increased  zeal  and  prompt  movements 
of  the  people  gave  "  infinite  satisfaction  "  to  the  commander- 
in-chief. 

While  the  position  of  the  American  army  continued  to 
grow  better,  that  of  the  British  army  became  more  and 
more  distressing.  At  the  beginning  of  the  new  year,  the 
small-pox  raged  in  Boston,  and  made  sad  havoc  with  the 
troops ;  provisions  were  scarce  ;  fuel  was  wanting,  and 
the  severity  of  the  weather  gave  rise  to  intense  suffering. 
In  January,  Washington  called  a  council  of  war.  The 
question  of  an  attack  on  Boston  was  submitted,  and  urged 
on  the  ground  that  it  was  "  indispensably  necessary  to  make 
a  bold  attempt  to  conquer  the  ministerial  troops  before 
they  could  be  re-enforced  in  the  spring."  ^  The  com- 
mander-in-chief had  been  desirous  of  offensive  02:)erations 
against  the  besieged  army  in  that  place  for  some  months, 
lie  wished  to  drive  them  from  the  capital  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  at  the  same  time  to  prevent  their  falling  upon 
any  other  port  of  America  with  a  sufficient  force  to  cause 
danger  or  alarm.  But  his  prudence  was  too  great  to  en- 
gage in  an  enterprise,  when  there  was  so  much  hazard, 
which  might  be  highly  injurious  to  the  country,  and  when 
the  general  opinion  was  against  such  an  attempt.  Wash- 
ington viewed  the  situation  with  many  misgivings.  "  My 
reflection  upon  it,"  he  wrote,  "  produces  many  an  uneasy 
hour,  when  all  around  me  are  wrapped  in  sleep.  Few 
people  know  the  predicament  we  are  in  on  a  thousand 
accounts ;  fewer  still  will  believe,  if  any  disaster  happens 
to  these  lines,  from  what  cause  it  flows.  If  I  should  be 
able  to  rise  superior  to  these,  and  many  other  difficulties 
which   might   be    enumerated,  I   shall   most   religiously  be- 

'  Frothingham,  Siege,  286. 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND    THE  SIEGE   OF  BOSTON.      C29 

lieve  that  the  finger  of  Providence  is  in  it,  to  blind  the  eyes 
of  our  enemies ;  for  surely,  if  we  get  well  through  this 
Tuonth,  it  must  be  for  want  of  their  knowing  the  disadvan- 
tages we  labor  under."  ^ 

111  February  a  day  was  fixed  upon  to  take  possession 
of  Dorcliester  Heights,  "  with  a  view  of  drawing  out  the 
enemy."  Washington  wrote  to  the  Council  of  the  jNlassa- 
chusetts  Bay,  asking  "  whether  it  may  not  be  best  to  direct 
the  militia  of  certain  towns  most  contiguous  to  Doich ester 
and  Roxbury  to  repair  to  the  lines  at  those  places,  with 
their  arms,  ammunition,  and  accoutrements,  instantly  upon 
a  given  signal."  Such  a  proceeding  was  approved ;  and 
to  facilitate  it,  ordnance  were  mounted  at  the  works  on 
Lechmere's  Point,  and  everything  made  ready  for  offen- 
sive operations. 

Early  in  March,  the  camp  of  the  Americans  presented 
"  indications  of  an  approaching  conflict."  From  Miller's 
Hill,  Lechmere's  Point,  and  Lamb's  Dam  in  Roxbury,  a 
severe  cannonade  was  commenced  ;  and,  under  cover  of 
this  fire,  two  tliousand  men,  under  General  Thomas,  with 
six  twelve  pounders  and  six  or  eight  field  pieces,  marched 
and  took  possession  of  Dorchester  Heights.  When  the  light 
of  day  exposed  them  to  the  full  view  of  the  British  in 
Boston,  they  had  thrown  up  a  sufficient  breastwork  for 
protection  and  security  in  prosecuting  the  object  of  their 
enterprise.  The  enemy  were  surprised  at  the  spectacle. 
''  I  know  not  what  I  shall  do,"  said  General  Howe.  "  These 
rebels  have  done  more  in  one  night  than  my  whole  army 
would  have  done  in  months."  "  If  the  Americans  are  not 
dislodged,"  remarked  Admiral  Shuldham,  "  not  one  of  his 
Majesty's    ships    can   be   kept   in    the    harbor."      A    council 

'  Sparks's  Washington,  iii.  240. 

42 


330  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  war  was  accordingly  convened,  and  it  was  decided  to 
attempt  to  force  the  works.  A  large  body  of  troops  was 
ordered  to  embark  on  board  the  transports,  with  a  view 
of  landing  "  in  the  hollow  between  the  farthest  of  the  two 
fortified  hills  and  the  Castle."  The  Americans  "  clapped 
their  hands  for  joy,  and  wished  them  to  come  on."  It 
was  the  anniversary  of  the  massacre  of  1770,  and  Washing- 
ton had  only  to  remind  his  army  of  this  fact  to  "  add  fuel 
to  the  martial  fire  already  kindled,  and  burning  with  un- 
common intenseness."  A  bloody  scene  was  anticipated, 
however  ;  and  even  the  enemy  remarked,  "  It  will  be  an- 
other Bunker  Hill  affair,  or  worse."  But  neither  party 
was  right  in  its  calculations.  Owing  to  a  fierce  storm,  the 
transports  were  unable  to  reach  their  destination,  and  the 
projected  assault  was,  therefore,  reluctantly  abandoned. 

The  7th  of  March  was  a  busy  day  in  Boston,  for  "  both 
troops  and  tories  were  preparing  to  quit  the  town,  and  to 
carry  off  all  they  could  of  their  military  stores  and  val- 
uable effects."  On  the  following  day,  Washington  was 
informed  by  the  selectmen  that  General  Howe  had  no  in- 
tention of  destroying  the  town,  "  unless  his  troops  were 
molested,  during  their  embarkation  or  departure,  by  the 
armed  force  without."  But  the  commander-in-chief  cared 
more  for  the  success  of  his  enterprise  than  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  Boston,  and  immediately  sent  a  strong  detach- 
ment to  throw  u,p  a  battery  on  Nook's  Hill,  at  Dorchester 
Point,  with  the  design  of  molesting  the  enemy. 

For  a  whole  week  the  British  urged  forward  their  prepara- 
tions for  departure,  and  only  waited  for  a  favorable  wind 
to  enable  them  to  embark.  On  the  17th,  satisfied  that 
"  neither  hell,  Hull,  nor  Halifax  could  afford  worse  shelter," 
General   Howe   evacuated   the    town,   leaving    behind    him 


BUNKER  HILL,   AND    THE  SIEGE   OF  BOSTON.      331 

a  number  of  spiked  cannon  and  otlier  accoutrements  of  war. 
Fifteen  hundred  tories  accompanied  liim.  Their  departure 
was  soon  discovered  by  the  Americans  ;  and  while  General 
Putnam  entered  the  town  in  one  direction,  a  detachment  of 
Ward's  troops,  under  Colonel  Learned,  marched  in  from 
Roxbury,  and  took  possession. 

Thus  were  the  British  driven  from  the  soil  of  Massachu- 
setts, the  "  refractory  colony  "  remained  unsubdued,  and  the 
zeal  of  its  sons  became  a  watchword  throughout  the  country. 
The  conduct  of  Washington  during  his  command  near  Bos- 
ton was  approved  by  the  Continental  Congress  ;  his  caution 
was  commended,  and  his  great  attention  to  the  organization 
of  the  army  was  praised.  A  few  daj's  after  the  British  left 
Boston,  Washington  entered,  and  there  remained  for  a  short 
season,  giving  directions  respecting  the  militar}^  stores  aban- 
doned by  the  enemy,  and  making  airangements  for  the  de- 
fence of  the  town  when  he  should  leave  the  colony  for  New 
York. 

The  condition  of  the  once  flourishing  metropolis  exhibited 
a  melancholy  proof  of  the  ravages  of  war.  "  Some  of  the 
churches  were  essentially  injured,  having  been  used  as  stables 
for  the  British  cavahy  ;  and  many  houses  and  stores  were 
razed  to  the  foundations,  and  the  materials  used  for  fuel ; 
ornamental  and  fruit  trees  were  cut  down  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. The  streets  were  filled  with  dirt  and  filth,  which  had 
been  accumulating  for  nine  or  ten  months ;  and  the  small-pox 
was  raging  in  various  parts  of  the  town.  This  gloomy 
scene  formed  a  most  striking  contrast  to  the  appearance  of 
the  place  twelve  months  before."  ^ 

•  Bradford,  ii.  95. 


532  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE  WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE. 

It  does  not  lie  within  the  province  of  the  local  historian 
to  trace  in  full  the  progress  of  the  Revolution.  It  has  pre- 
viously been  observed  that  the  vengeance  of  the  British 
ministry  was,  at  first,  aimed  chiefly  at  Massachusetts  ;  that 
here  the  struggle  for  freedom  began  ;  and  that  up  to  the 
spring  of  1776,  the  movements  of  the  war,  with  but  few 
exceptions,  were  confined  to  these  limits.  As  the  war  pro- 
gressed, however,  the  scene  of  activity  was  enlarged,  and 
what  was  formerly  a  mere  flame,  now  burst  forth  into  a 
conflagration.  In  the  present  work,  therefore,  only  a  sum- 
mary of  events  bearing  directly  upon  the  history  of  Massa- 
chusetts will  be  given. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Boston,  General  Ward  assumed 
command  of  the  Massachusetts  forces,  and  as  early  as  was 
practicable,  fortified  Boston  harbor.  Three  new  regiments, 
with  six  companies  of  artiller}^  were  raised  at  the  expense 
of  the  state ;  under  the  direction  of  General  Lincoln,  forti- 
fications were  erected  at  Salem,  Marbleliead,  Cape  Ann,  and 
Plymouth ;  and  the  private  armed  vessels,  and  those  in  com- 
mission of  the  province,  were  employed  in  the  service  of  the 
country.  Frequent  alarms  in  the  months  of  May  and  June 
gave  much  uneasiness  to  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  and 
fears  were  entertained  of  another  visit  from  the  British.  A 
few  of  the  enemy's  vessels  still  remained  in  the  harbor ;  and 
the  General  Court  resolved  to  drive  them  away  if  possible. 


THE    WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE.  833 

On  the  morning  of  the  loth  of  June,  a  lar^e  force  took  post 
at  Nantasket  and  Long  Island,  and  began  a  heavy  cannon- 
ade upon  the  British.  The  situation  of  tlie  hitter  soon 
became  hazardous  ;  and  they  were  forced  to  put  to  sea  with 
their  shattered  fleet,  after  blowing  up  the  lighthouse,  the 
only  injury  which  it  was  in  their  power  to  commit. 

Meanwhile  the  state  of  affairs  elsewhere  in  the  country 
required  the  assistance  of  Massachusetts.  Fresh  troops  were 
constantly  in  demand.  The  General  Court  voted  to  raise 
five  thousand  men  for  six  months  for  the  national  array. 
In  every  town  committees  were  appointed  to  direct  the 
enlistments  ;  a  bounty  and  a  month's  pay  in  advance  were 
given  to  each  soldier ;  and  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  pounds 
was  appropriated  by  the  state  to  defray  current  expenses. 
Notwithstanding  these  inducements,  the  local  jealousies 
which  prevailed  in  the  colonies  greatly  retarded  the  raising 
of  troops.  These  were  soon  calmed  down,  however,  and 
of  the  five  thousand  men  raised  in  June,  two  thousand  were 
sent  to  Xew  York,  and  the  re;  t  were  despatched  to  the 
northern  department.  In  the  following  month  other  regi- 
ments were  ordered  to  New  York  and  to  Canada.  Such 
was  the  need  of  troops  in  September,  that  every  fifth  man 
in  the  province  was  ordered  to  march  to  the  neighborhood 
of  New  York.  In  communicating  the  resolves  of  Congress 
at  this  time,  Hancock  urged  the  General  Court  and  the 
people,  by  every  consideration  that  could  influence  honor- 
able men  and  freemen,  to  assist  in  the  great  work  of  saving 
the  country  from  tyranny  and  oppression.  To  those  who 
live  in  times  of  peace,  it  appears  almost  incredible,  what 
sufferings  were  endured  and  hazards  met  by  the  brave  men 
of  that  eventful  period. 

On   the    7th  of  June,  Richard   Henry  Lee,  in  behalf  of 


334  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  Virginia  delegates,  submitted  in  the  hall  of  Congress  in 
Philadelphia,  the  following  important  resolutions :  — 

"  That  these  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to 
be,  free  and  independent  states  ;  that  they  are  absolved  from 
all  allegiance  to  the  British  crown,  and  that  all  political 
connection  between  them  and  the  state  of  Great  Britain  is, 
and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved. 

"  That  it  is  expedient  forthwith  to  take  the  most  effectual 
measures  for  forming  foreign  alliances. 

*'  That  a  plan  of  confederation  be  prepared,  and  trans- 
mitted to  the  respective  colonies,  for  their  consideration  and 
approbation." 

These  resolves  were  seconded  by  John  Adams  ;  but  owing 
"  to  some  other  business,"  it  was  mutually  agreed  that  the 
members  of  the  Congress  should  delay  until  the  next  day, 
"in  order  to  take  the  same  into  their  consideration."  At  the 
appointed  time,  the  resolutions  were  taken  into  consideration, 
and  the  debate  which  ensued  was  "  the  most  copious  and 
the  most  animated  ever  held  on  the  subject."  John  Adams 
defended  the  proposed  measures,  as  "  objects  of  the  most 
stupendous  magnitude,  in  which  the  lives  and  liberties  of 
millions  yet  unborn  were  intimately  interested,"  and  the 
climax  "  of  a  revolution  the  most  complete,  unexpected,  and 
remarkable  of  any  in  the  history  of  nations."  ^  A  vote  on 
the  question  was  deferred  until  the  following  Monday. 

On  the  10th,  Edward  Rutledge  moved  that  "  the  question 
be  postponed  for  three  weeks."  The  whole  day,  until  seven 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  was  consumed  in  the  debate  ;  when 
"  it  appearing,"  says  Jefferson,  "  that  the  colonies  of  New 
York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  and 
South  Carolina  were  not  yet  matured  for  falling  from  the 

»  Works,  ix.  391. 


THE    WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE.  335 

parent  stem,  but  that  they  were  fast  advancing  to  that  state, 
it  was  thought  most  prudent  to  wait  a  while  for  them."  ^  At 
the  same  time,  it  was  voted  that  a  committee  should  be 
appointed  to  prepare  "  a  declaration  in  conformity  to  the 
resolution  on  independence."  Accordingly,  on  the  next  day, 
Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Roger 
Sherman,  and  Robert  R.  Livingston  were  named  as  a  com- 
mittee ;  and  "  it  fell  to  Jefferson  to  write  "  the  declaration, 
"  both  because  he  represented  Virginia,  from  which  the 
proposition  had  gone  forth,  and  because  he  had  been  elected 
by  the  largest  number  of  votes."  On  the  very  day  when  Mr. 
Lee  offered  his  resolutions,  he  was  called  home  on  account 
of  an  illness  in  his  family.  Had  he  remained  until  the  form- 
ing of  the  committee,  he  would,  by  courtesy,  have  been 
designated  as  its  chairman,  and  in  this  event,  might  have 
been  the  author  of  the  declaration. 

Jefferson  prepared  the  draught  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence ;  and  on  the  2Stli  of  June  he  presented  it  to 
Congress,  w^here  it  was  "  ordered  to  lie  on  the  table."  On 
the  1st  of  Jul}',  "  probably  fifty-one  delegates  "^  assembled 
in  the  Old  State  House  in  Philadelphia.  After  attending  to 
certain  preliminary  business.  Congress  resolved  itself  "  into 
a  committee  of  the  whole  to  take  into  consideration  the  res- 
olution respecting  independency,"  and  voted  to  refer  the 
draught  of  the  declaration  to  this  committee.  For  a  while 
the  silence  of  death  prevailed ;  every  heart  beat  nervously 
with  apprehension  ;  every  eye  was  bent  towards  him,  who 
had  dared  to  second  the  resolution  of  freedom.  In  the  midst 
of  the  quiet,  the  new  delegates  from  New  Jersey  arose  and 
requested  a  "  discussion  of  the  question,"  and  "  a  recapitula- 
of  the  arguments  used  in  former  debates." 

•  Jefferson's  Works,  i.  12-14.  *  Bancroft,  viii.  459. 


336  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Mr.  Adams  undertook  to  reply.  He  set  forth  the  jus- 
tice, the  necessity,  and  the  advantages  of  a  separation  from 
Great  Britain ;  he  dwelt  on  the  neglect  and  insult  Avith 
which  their  petitions  had  been  treated  hy  the  king,  and 
on  that  vindictive  spirit,  which  showed  itself  in  the  employ- 
ment of  German  troops,  whose  arrival  was  hourly  expected, 
to  compel  the  colonists  to  unconditional  surrender.  He  con- 
cluded, by  urging  the  present  time  as  the  most  suitable  for 
resolving  on  independence,  inasmuch  as  it  had  become  the 
first  wish  and  the  last  instruction  of  the  communities  they 
represented. 

The  question  before  the  committee  was  the  resolution  on 
Independence  submitted  by  Mr.  Lee  on  the  7th  of  June. 
After  being  debated  upon  a  whole  day,  it  passed  by  the  vote 
of  nine  colonies  —  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Connec- 
ticut, Rhode  Island,  New  Jersey,  Maryland,  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  and  Georgia.  "  South  Carolina  and  Pennsylvania," 
says  Jefferson,  "  voted  against  it.  Delaware  had  but  two 
members  present,  and  th^y  were  divided.  The  delegates 
from  New  York  declared  they  were  for  it  themselves,  and 
were  assured  their  constituents  were  for  it ;  but  that  their  in- 
structions having  been  drawn  near  a  twelvemonth  before, 
when  reconciliation  was  still  the  general  ol^ject,  they  were 
enjoined  by  them  to  do  nothing  which  should  impede  that 
object.  They  therefore  thought  themselves  not  justifiable  in 
voting  on  either  side,  and  asked  leave  to  withdraw  from  the 
question  ;  which  was  given  them."  The  committee  rose,  and 
Harrison  reported  the  resolution  to  the  House  ;  but  at  the  re- 
quest of  Rutledge,  determination  upon  it  was  postponed  till 
the  next  day.  Rutledge  cherished  the  hope  that  his  col- 
leagues "  would  then  join  in  it  for  the  sake  of  unanimity."  ^ 

'  Jefferson's  Works,  i.  18. 


THE    WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE.  337 

On  the  2d  of  July,  Congress  restimed  its  consideration  of 
the  resolution.  At  ten  o'clock  twelve  colonies,  without  a 
dissenting  voice,  resolved  :  —  That  these  United  Colo- 
nies ARE,  ANT)  OF  RIGHT  OUGHT  TO  BE,  FREE  AND  INDE- 
PENDENT STATES  ;  THAT  THEY  ARE  ABSOLVED  FROM  ALL 
ALLEGIANCE     TO    THE     BRITISH    CrOWN,    AND     THAT     ALL 

political  connection  between  them  and  the  state  of 
Great  Britain  is,  and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved. 

Without  delay  Congress  again  went  into  a  committee  of 
the  whole,  and  took  from  the  table  the  draught  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence.  In  the  evening  John  Adams 
wrote  home  :  —  "The  greatest  question  was  decided  which 
ever  was  debated  in  America,  and  a  greater,  perhaps,  never 
was  nor  will  be  decided  among  men.  .  .  .  The  2d  day  of 
July,  1776,  will  be  the  most  memorable  epocha  in  the  history 
of  America  ;  to  be  celebrated  by  succeeding  generations  as 
the  great  anniversary  festival,  commemorated  as  the  day  of 
deliverance,  by  solemn  acts  of  devotion  to  God  Almighty, 
from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  from  tJiis  time 
forward  forevermore."  ^ 

On  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  July,  the  Declaration,  having 
been  discussed  and  amended  in  committee,  was  reported  to 
the  House,  and  adopted  by  twelve  states,  unanimously,  as 
"  The  Declaration  by  the  Representatives  of  the  United 
States  in  Congress  assembled."  Thus  was  consummated  that 
legislation,  which,  sustained  by  long  struggle  and  suffering, 
of  whicli  history  affords  few  parallels,  struck  from  the 
British  realm  its  most  promising  possession.  On  this  event- 
ful day  —  the  day  which  announced  not  only  the  Birth  of  a 
Nation,  but  also  the  establishment  of  a  national  government 
—  the  Declaration  was   signed   by   every  member   present, 

'  Works,  ix.  419. 

43 


338  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

except  Mr.  Dickinson,^  and  was  published  in  the  Philadel- 
phia press.  Authenticated  copies  were  transmitted  to  "  the 
several  committees  and  conventions,  and  the  commanding 
officers  of  the  continental  troops  :  "  and  in  each  of  the  states 
the  Declaration  was  proclaimed  at  the  head  of  the  army.^ 
Before  Congress  adjourned  on  the  4th,  it  resolved  "  that  Dr. 
Franklin,  Mr.  J.  Adams,  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  be  a  committee 
to  prepare  a  device  for  a  Seal  for  the  United  States  of 
America."  On  the  15th,  New  York  signed  the  paper ;  and 
thus  the  Declaration  of  Independence  became  the  act  of  the 
thirteen  United  States. 

Four  days  later  Congress  voted  that  "  the  Declaration 
passed  on  the  4th  of  July  be  fairly  engrossed  on  parchment, 
and  that  the  same,  when  engrossed,  be  signed  by  every 
member  of  Congress."  On  the  2d  of  August,  the  "  Declara- 
tion being  engrossed  and  compared  at  the  table,  was  signed 
by  the  members ;  "  and  on  the  20tli  of  January,  1777,  it 
was  voted  that  an  authenticated  copy  of  the  Declaration, 
with  the  names  of  the  signei's,  be  sent  to  each  of  the  United 
States,  with  the  reqiiest  that  it  be  put  on  record. 

The  Declaration  was  gloriously  welcomed  in  all  the  states. 
Patriots  rested  from  their  labors ;  the  bells  rang  paeans  of 
joy ;  the  military  paraded ;  cannon  roared  with  martial 
salutes,  and  imposing  assemblies  proclaimed  the  fervor  of 
the  celebrations.  From  north  to  south,  from  the  enemy's 
lines  to  the  borders  of  civilization,  acclamation  was  unani- 
mous. The  voice  of  Georgia  was  the  voice  of  New  England. 
"Let  us  remember,"  said  the  devoted  sons  of  the  south, 
"  America  is  free  and  independent ;  that  she  is,  and  will  be, 
with  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty,  great  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth.     Let  this  encourage  us  in  well  doing,  to  fight 

'  Jefferson's  Works,  i.  19,  120.  «  Idem,  i.  120-122. 


THE    WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE.  339 

for  our  rights  and  privileges,  for  all  that  is  near  and  dear 
to  us.  INIay  God  give  us  His  blessing,  and  let  all  the  people 
say  '  Amen.'  "  ^  On  the  18th  of  July  the  Declaration  veas 
publicly  read  from  the  balcony  of  the  State  House  in  Boston. 
The  reading  was  followed  by  a  grand  parade  ;  the  King's 
Arms  were  taken  down,  and  a  dinner,  free  to  all,  was  given 
on  the  occasion.^ 

The  several  states  were  now  considered  sovereign,  as  well 
as  independent.  They  had  publicly  declared  their  freedom  ; 
but  it  still  remained  for  them  to  maintain  it  even  at  the  cost 
of  life.  When  the  autumn  opened,  the  condition  of  affairs 
was  far  from  encouraging.  Provisions  were  scarce,  and  the 
army  was  daily  diminishing.  It  became  necessary  for  Con-, 
gress  to  recruit  troops  on  a  larger  scale  than  ever  before,  — 
and  eighty-eight  regiments,  or  seventy  thousand  men,  were 
ordered  to  be  enlisted  for  three  years.  Of  this  number 
Massachusetts  furnished  more  than  one-sixth. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  new  year,  the  enlistments  were 
recommenced,  and  continued  until  the  following  summer. 
"  We  entreat  you,"  said  the  General  Court  to  the  people, 
"  for  the  sake  of  that  religion,  for  the  enjoyment  whereof 
your  ancestors  fled  to  this  country,  for  the  sake  of  your  laws 
and  future  felicity,  to  act  vigorously  and  firmly  in  this 
critical  situation  of  your  country  ;  and  we  doubt  not  but 
that  your  noble  exertions,  under  the  smiles  of  Heaven,  will 
insure  you  that  success  and  freedom  due  to  the  wise  man  and 
the  patriot."  ^  In  February,  the  General  Court  ordered  a 
new  issue  of  paper  money  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  pounds,  and  a  tax  of  one  hundred 
thousand  pounds. 

'  Force's  Archives,  5  Series,  i.  882.  '  Bradford,  ii.  131. 

»  Austin's  Life  of  Gerry,  i.  206. 


340  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  ' 

Meanwhile  the  naval  armament  of  Massachusetts,  includ- 
ing the  vessels  purchased  by  Congress,  and  several  smaller 
privateers,  were  cruising  on  the  coast  and  in  the  region  of 
the  "West  Indies,  with  success.  A  large  number  of  richly- 
laden  ships  were  thus  captured  by  the  Americans ;  and  it 
was  estimated  that  from  July,  1775,  to  January,  1777,  there 
were  seized  English  merchant  ships  to  the  value  of  a  million 
and  a  lialf  sterling,  besides  a  number  of  transports  bearing 
provisions  destined  for  the  British  troops.  In  the  summer 
of  1777,  an  expedition  was  projected  for  the  defence  and 
relief  of  the  people  of  Nova  Scotia,  living  on  the  Bay  of 
Fundy,  who  were  friendly  to  the  United  States,  and  were, 
accordingly,  frequently  harassed  by  the  British.  A  regiment 
was  raised  in  Maine,  and  a  naval  force,  such  as  was  supposed 
would  be  necessary,  was  procured  for  the  purpose.  But 
unexpected  difficulties  arose  in  the  prosecution  of  the  plan ; 
and  after  much  delay  it  was  totally  abandoned. 

Whilst  this  project  was  being  considered,  the  British  army, 
under  the  command  of  General  Burgoyne,  was  meeting  with 
repeated  successes  at  the  northward  and  in  Canada.  Appre- 
hensions were  excited  that  it  would  soon  make  its  way  to 
Albany,  unless  suddenly  checked  by  a  strong  re-enforcement 
from  the  militia  of  the  New  England  States.  No  time  was 
to  be  lost.  Several  companies  from  Suffolk  and  Middlesex 
were  called  out  to  protect  the  capital,  and  to  guard  the 
stores  deposited  there  and  at  Cambridge  and  Watertown  ; 
and  the  residue  comprising  as  many  troops  as  could  be  spared 
were  sent  to  strengthen  the  army  of  General  Gates.  The 
junction  was  completed  just  at  the  right  moment  ;  for  a  few 
days  later,  a  body  of  the  army,  under  the  gallant  Stark, 
defeated,  near  Bennington,  a  detachment  pf  fifteen  hundred 
British,  under  Colonel  Baum.     On  the   19th  of  September, 


THE    WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE.  341 

the  Americans  giiined  a  victory  in  an  engagement  wliich  took 
place  near  Saratoga ;  and  on  the  Tth  ot  October,  a  third 
encounter  also  resulted  in  their  favor.  Burgoyne  had  now 
penetrated  the  country  so  far  that  he  could  not  retreat  with- 
out disgrace.  Every  day  his  situation  became  more  perilous  ; 
and  on  the  19th  of  October,  surrounded  by  a  large  army,  he 
was  forced  to  surrender  his  troops  to  the  Americans.  Tho 
prisoners  of  war  were  marched  to  the  vicinity  of  Boston, 
and  quartered  in  barracks  on  Winter  and  Prospect  Hills. 
After  this  achievement,  which  was  called  "  the  turning  point 
of  the  war  of  revolution  in  America,"  the  greater  part  of  the 
Continental  army  was  marched  from  Saratoga  to  join  Wash- 
ington near  Philadelphia,  and  a  few  weeks  later,  went  into 
winter  quarters  at  Valley  Forge. 

The  war,  thus  far,  had  been  attended  with  enormous  ex- 
pense, and  the  country  was  burdened  with  debt.  When,  in 
November,  the  General  Court  met^  several  important  subjects 
demanded  their  attention.  Congress  had  recently  recom- 
mended to  the  states  to  raise  by  tax  five  millions  of  dollars ; 
and  eight  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars  were  re- 
quired of  ^Massachusetts.  To  meet  the  demand,  the  General 
Court  voted  to  raise  seventy-five  thousand  pounds  immedi- 
ately by  loans,  and  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  pounds 
by  tax.  Two  new  regiments  were  ordered  to  be  raised  to 
serve  in  Rhode  Island  ;  and  some  of  the  militia  were  called 
out  for  the  defence  of  the  sea  coast. 

Ardent  and  spirited  appeals  were  issued  to  the  people 
to  arouse  them  to  exertion.  "  Act  like  3'ourselves,"  it 
was  said.  "  Arouse  at  the  call  of  Washington  and  of  your 
country,  and  you  will  soon  be  crowned  with  glory,  inde- 
pendence, and  peace.  Present  ease  and  interest  we  must 
part    with    for   a   time ;    and    let    us   rejoice    at    the    sacri- 


342  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

fice."  ^  Through  the  spring  and  summer  of  1778  the  pres- 
ence of  a  large  British  force  at  Newport  caused  continual 
alarm,  and  the  Americans  conceived  the  project  of  expelling 
them.  In  August,  the  troops  in  Rhode  Island  under  General 
Sullivan  were  re-enforced  by  fresh  militia  from  Massachu- 
setts, until  the  army  amounted  in  all  to  about  ten  thousand 
men.  The  enemy,  under  Sir  Robert  Pigot,  stationed  at  New- 
port, numbered  sixty-five  hundred.  In  this  expedition  the 
Marquis  de  Lafayette  and  Major  General  Greene  rendered 
efificient  service. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  about  eight  thousand  of  the  Ameri- 
cans captured  two  of  the  enemy's  forts,  and  drove  the 
British  nearer  the  town.  The  advancing  army  then  secured 
a  safe  position,  and  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  French  fleet, 
under  Count  d'Estaing,  which  had  recently  appeared  off  the 
coast.  But  a  tempest  suddenly  shattered  the  fleet ;  and  the 
British,  taking  courage,  ventured  to  make  an  assault  upon 
the  American  troops.  The  latter  held  their  ground,  until 
compelled  to  retreat  from  the  island.  The  want  of  success 
in  this  expedition  was  the  more  mortifying,  as  it  was  the 
third  attempt  made,  within  eighteen  months,  to  drive  the 
British  from  this  part  of  New  England.  Before  Sullivan  and 
his  forces  quitted  Rhode  Island  the  French  fleet  repaired  to 
Boston.^ 

In  the  summer  of  this  year,  British  commissioners  arrived 
at  New  York  to  make  propositions  for  a  suspension  of  hos- 
tilities. The  defeat  of  Burgoyne  had  "  awakened  in  England 
a  desire  for  peace."  Congress  unhesitatingly  refused  to 
accept  the  offers  of  the  commissioners  ;  and  the  latter,  cha- 
grined at  tlusir  failure,  declared  that  such  persistency  would 
be  considered  as  a  crime  of  the  most  aggravated  kind,  and 

'  Boston  Gazette,  for  Jan.  6,  1778.  *  Gordon,  Am.  Rev.,  ii.  350,  seq. 


THE    WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE.  343 

gave  the  people  forty  days  to  return  to  their  allegiance,  or 
abide  the  consequences.  The  reply  of  Congress  was  equally 
firm  and  decisive,  and  it  affirmed  that  "  since  their  incorri- 
gible dispositions  could  not  be  touched  b}^  kindness  or  com- 
passion, it  became  their  duty,  by  other  means,  to  vindicate  the 
rights  of  humanit}'."  The  response  closed,  by  saying,  "  As 
we  are  not  moved  by  any  light  and  hasty  suggestions  of 
anger  or  revenge,  so,  through  every  possible  change  of  for- 
tune, we  shall  adhere  to  this  our  determiniation."  ^ 

In  November,  General  Gates  superseded  General  Heath 
in  the  command  of  the  forces  stationed  in  Massachusetts  ; 
but  remained  in  the  state  only  until  the  following  spring. 
At  the  opening  of  the  new  3'ear,  the  whole  country,  bur- 
dened with  debt  and  an  increased  suffering,  was  in  gloom. 
Congress  had  recent!}^  called  for  a  loan  of  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars  ;  and  of  this  sum  two  millions  were  apportioned  to 
Massachusetts.  More  men  were  likewise  demanded  in  addi- 
tion to  those  already  sent  to  tlie  Continental  arm3%  In  June, 
Massachusetts,  with  the  consent  of  the  General  Congress, 
planned  an  expedition  for  the  expulsion  of  the  British  from 
the  Penobscot.  In  Maine  the  undertaking  was  popular, 
because  the  force  of  the  enemy  was  known  to  be  small,  with 
no  prospect  of  a  re-enforcement.  Towards  the  last  of  July, 
a  fleet  consisting  of  nineteen  armed  vessels,  "  as  beautiful  a 
flotilla  as  had  ever  appeared  in  the  eastern  waters,"  under 
the  command  of  Richard  Saltonstall,  of  New  Haven,  arrived 
before  Castine,  where  the  British  had  erected  a  fortress. 
The  land  forces  were  commanded  by  Solomon  Lovell,  of 
Weymouth.  On  the  28th  the  Americans  effected  a  landing, 
and  were  twice  repulsed.  After  several  days  of  cannonad- 
ing, seven  British  frigates  entered  the  bay,  and  completely 

'  Jour.  Cont.  Cong.,  for  Oct.  13,  1778. 


344  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

routed  or  destroyed  the  continental  flotilla.  The  army- 
straggled  in  broken  squads  to  the  Kennebec  settlements ; 
and  the  whole  countrj^  was  filled  with  "grief  and  murmurs." 
Castine  was  held  by  the  enemy  until  1783. 

The  years  1780  and  1781  were  distinguished  by  few  inci- 
dents bearing  immediately  upon  the  history  of  Massachusetts. 
That  the  times  were  gloomy  no  one  can  doubt.  The  life- 
blood  of  the  nation  had  been  poured  out  like  water ;  and 
everywhere  there  were  homes  made  desolate,  and  cities  and 
dwellings  falling  rapidly  to  decay.  The  debt  of  Massachu- 
setts at  this  time  was  nominally  two  hundred  millions  of 
dollars ;  though  on  the  calculation  of  forty  for  one,  the 
difference  between  the  bills  to  be  paid  and  specie  was  so 
great,  that  the  debt  in  reality  was  not  above  five  millions. 
The  people  loudl}^  complained  of  the  heavy  debt  of  the  state, 
and  charged  the  General  Court  with  a  want  of  economy. 
But  never  before  had  the  expenses  of  the  state  been  so  great ; 
and  in  view  of  what  public  services  were  performed,  and 
what  numbers  of  men  Avere  employed  in  the  army  at  different 
times,  it  is  truly  wonderful  that  the  credit  of  the  state  was 
not  wholly  lost.  It  must  be  remembered,  also,  that  "  most 
public  purchases  were  made  under  disadvantages,  and  it  was 
well  known  b}"  those  who  served  the  state,  or  furnished 
articles  at  the  request  of  its  agents,  that  the  day  of  payment 
was  far  distant."  Perhaps  in  no  coiintry,  under  such  strin- 
gent circumstances,  were  there  ever  fewer  defaulters,  or  less 
loss  to  the  public  interests. 

After  the  war  had  continued  seven  years  "on  the  grossest 
impolicy,"  ^  the  English  government  again  began  to  think 
of  peace.  In  February,  1782,  General  Conway  made  the 
preliminary  motion  on  the  subject ;  but  it  was  rejected  by  a 

'  Mahon,  Hist,  of  Eng.,  vii.  124. 


THE    WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE.  345  , 

majority  of  one.  Opposition  became  so  strong,  and  the  gov- 
ernment so  weak,  that  in  INIarch,  Lord  North  resigned,  and 
a  new  ministry  was  formed,  with  Rockingham  at  the  head 
of  the  treasury,  and  Shelburne  second  secretary  of  state.  A 
day  or  two  Liter  Franklin,  who  was  tlien  at  Paris,  wrote  a 
letter  to  Shelburne,  informing  him  of  the  appointment  on 
the  part  of  the  American  government  of  five  commissioners, 
to  open  and  conclude  a  treaty  of  peace.  Franklin  himself 
was  one  of  these  commissioners. 

In  the  following  month  Richard  Oswald,  an  agent  on  the 
part  of  the  English  government,  held  a  conference  with  the 
American  commissioners,  and  from  Franklin  received  a  paper 
suggesting  that  to  prevent  any  future  disturbance,  "  Eng- 
land should  not  only  acknowledge  the  independence  of  the 
thirteen  United  States,  but  cede  to  them,  also,  the  province 
of  Canada."  This  proposition  was  rejected  by  Shelburne  ; 
and  the  cabinet  presented  the  abstract  of  a  treaty  on  a  dif- 
ferent basis,  —  admitting  the  independence  of  the  states,  but 
leaving  other  matters  to  be  restored  as  they  stood  at  the 
peace  of  17G3.  At  the  same  time  Thomas  Grenville,  the 
friend  of  Fox,  was  sent  by  the  British  government  to  treat 
with  Vergennes,  the  prime  minister  of  France. 

The  separate  negotiations  clashed  with  each  other  in  several 
particulars.  Nevertheless,  on  the  30th  of  November,  the 
provisional  articles  of  peace  were  signed  at  Paris,  by  the  four 
American  commissioners  on  one  side,  and  Mr.  Oswald  on 
the  other.  After  the  opening  of  the  new  year,  these  articles 
were  brought  before  Parliament,  and  were  bitterly  opposed. 
But  it  was  already  too  late  for  the  government  to  fall  back 
with  grace  ;  and  the  new  administration  labored  hard  to  com- 
plete what  it  had  begun.  On  the  3d  of  September,  1783, 
three  definitive  treaties,  with  America,  France,  and  Spain, 
44 


346  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

were  signed ;  the  former  at  Paris,  and  the  other  two  at  Ver- 
sailles. 

Thus  closed  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  American 
independence  was  established.  When  the  glad  tidings  ar- 
rived that  peace  was  declared,  every  countenance  was  radiant 
with  smiles.  In  every  town  and  village  throughout  the 
land  bells  were  rung,  cannon  were  fired,  and  bonfires  blazed. 
"  It  seemed  as  if  all  were  inspired  with  new  life  ;  and  in  the 
hour  of  triumph,  how  proudly  the  soldiery,  who  had  fought 
for  their  country,  recounted  the  perilous  scenes  they  had 
witnessed,  and  looking  to  Heaven  with  grateful  emotions, 
poured  out  their  offerings  of  gratitude  to  God  !  To  view 
such  a  scene  with  indifference  is  impossible  ;  and  if  the  story 
of  the  revolution,  notwithstanding  its  drawbacks,  becomes  to 
us  ever  a  '  thrice  told  tale,'  or  ceases  to  arouse  us  to  emulate 
the  virtues  and  admire  the  heroism  of  those  who  achieved 
the  independence  of  our  country,  then  may  we  be  assured 
the  day  of  our  downfall  is  rapidly  approaching,  and  we  are 
becoming  unworthy  of  the  continued  enjoyment  of  the  bless- 
ings of  liberty,  now  so  widely  diffused  throughout  our  land."  ^ 

'  Barry,  iii.  171. 


ADOPTION  OF   THE  STATE   CONSTITUTION.        347 


CHAPTER    XVII. 
ADOPTION  OF  THE   STATE  CONSTITUTION, 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  imposed  upon  each  of 
the  colonies  the  necessity  of  establishing  independent  gov- 
ernments for  the  protection  of  the  people  and  the  security 
of  their  interests.  In  September,  1776,  the  legislature  of 
Massachusetts  recommended  "  to  their  constituents  to  choose 
their  deputies  to  the  next  General  Court  with  power  to 
adopt  a  form  of  government  for  the  state."  This  recom- 
mendation was  received  in  the  following  spring.  In  May, 
1777,  the  General  Court  convened ;  and  as  early  as  was 
possible,  a  committee,  consisting  of  four  members  of  the 
Council  and  eight  members  of  the  House,  was  appointed 
to  prepare  a  state  constitution.  This  committee  reported  a 
draught  in  January,  1778,  which  the  General  Court  approved, 
and  submitted  to  the  people.  The  latter,  however,  rejected 
it,  by  a  vote  of  five  to  one,  solely  because  the  instrument 
contained  no  declaration  of  rights.  Soon  after  the  opinion 
prevdiled  that  a  convention,  consisting  of  persons  to  be  cho- 
sen for  the  purpose,  ought  to  be  immediately  called. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  1779,  delegates  from  all  the 
towns  met  in  convention  at  Cambridge,  and  organized  by 
choosing  James  Bowdoin  as  president,  and  Samuel  Barrett 
as  secretary.  A  committee  of  twenty-six  was  then  appoint- 
ed to  prepare  the  draught  of  a  constitution  ;  and  pend- 
ing their  report,  the  convention  was  temporarily  adjourned. 


348  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  convention,  owing  to  various  reasons  for  delay,  did 
not  reassemble  until  in  the  following  January,  at  which  time 
a  draught  was  presented  and  adopted.  Copies  were  sent  to 
all  the  towns  and  plantations  in  the  state,  with  the  di- 
rection that  votes,  either  for  or  against  this  constitution, 
should  be  returned  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  June.  At 
this  date,  it  appeared  that  more  than  two  thirds  of  the 
votes  were  in  its  favor ;  whereupon,  the  convention  was 
dissolved.  On  the  25th  of  October,  1780,  the  government 
was  organized,  and  the  constitution,  having  been  adopted 
by  the  popular  vote,  went  into  full  force.  In  the  month 
previous,  John  Hancock,  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  his 
age,  was  chosen  to  the  office  of  chief  magistrate,  and 
Thomas  Gushing  was  appointed  lieutenant  governor.  The 
election  of  the  senators  likewise  took  place  in  the  same 
month. 

Though  the  public  mind  was  chiefly  engaged  in  political 
concerns  "at  this  time,  the  interests  of  science  were  not 
entirely  overlooked.  On  the  4th  of  May,  1780,  about  fifty 
gentlemen,  distinguished  for  their  culture  and  literary  re- 
searches, met,  and  formed  the  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences. James  Bowdoin  was  its  first  president,  and  Joseph 
Willard,  president  of  Harvard  College,  was  its  first  cor- 
responding secretary.  In  the  same  year  an  academy  was 
also  established  at  Andover  for  the  instruction  of  youth 
in  the  higher  branches  of  literature. 

A  most  singular  phenomenon  occurred  on  the  19th  of  May, 
which  created  much  alarm  among  the  common  j)eople,  and 
was  the  subject  of  speculation  among  the  learned.  The 
occasion  was  known  as  the  "  dark  day."  In  the  morn- 
ing the  sky  was  cloudy,  and  a  little  rain  fell.  About  ten 
o'clock  it  began   to   grow   dark,    and    toward    the    middle 


ADOPTIOX  OF  THE  STATE   COxXSTITUTION.        349 

of  the  afternoon  it  was  found  to  be  impossililc  to  con- 
duct business  Avithout  the  use  of  artificial  lights.  The 
birds  and  beasts  repaired  to  their  places  of  rest,  l)ut 
before  night  it  gradually  grew  lighter,  and  thc}^  again 
forsook  them.  The  darkness  did  not  extend  beyond  Con- 
necticut, nor  far  out  at  sea.  It  was  attributed  to  a  thick 
smoke,  wliich  had  been  accumulating  for  several  days,  oc- 
casioned by  large  fires  in  the  wooded  regions  of  nortliern 
New  Hampshire,  whers  the  people  were  making  new  settle- 
ments. 

In  the  autumn  a  committee  was  named,  consisting  of  the 
judges  of  the  Superior  Court,  the  attorney  general,  James 
Bowdoin,  and  James  Pickering,  "  to  revise  the  laws  in  use 
in  the  conmionwcaltli,  and  to  select,  abridge,  alter,  and 
digest  them,  so  as  they  should  be  accommodated  to  the 
present  government,"  and  also  to  prepare  bills  f(n-  the 
proper  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and  for  the  prevention 
of  drunkenness  and  profanity.  Jn  May,  17S1,  Congress 
authorized  the  establishment  of  a  national  bank  at  Phila- 
delphia, agreeably  to  a  i)lan  proposed  by  Robert  INIoiris, 
who  was  then  superintendent  of  finance.  In  the  following 
Januar}',  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  passed  a  law  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  currency  to  the  bills  issued  by  that 
bank  within  the  state,  and  authorizing  the  state  treasurer 
and  others  to  receive  them  for  payment  of  public  debts, 
and  subjecting  those  to  severe  punishment  who  should 
counterfeit  them.  The  charter  of  the  national  bank  was 
repealed  in  1785  ;  but  two  years  later,  the  bank  was  rein- 
corporated for  fourteen  years.  The  first  bank  in  ]Massaehu- 
setts,  under  the  state  constitution,  was  established  in  1784. 
It  continued  to  be  for  several  years  the  only  banking  in- 
stitution   in    the    commonwealth,    and    to    its    proprietors   it 


350  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

yielded  enormous  profits.  Tlie  "  Massacliusetts  Mint "  was 
established  in  1786,  but  was  discontinued  after  the  adoption 
of  the  federal  constitution,  on  the  ground  that  a  uniform 
currency  was  necessary  for  the  convenience  of  the  people  in 
all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  state  constitution  provided  that  the  highest  judicial 
tribunal  in  the  state  should  be  denominated  as  the  Supreme 
Judicial  Court.  Such  a  court  was  by  law  established  in 
July,  1782.  Some  time  previous  the  legislature  had  enacted 
that  the  judges  of  the  superior  court  of  judicature,  the 
name  formerly  given  to  the  highest  judicial  court  in  the 
commonwealth,  should  exercise  the  powers  given  by  the 
constitution  to  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court. 

For  many  years  the  question  of  slavery  had  been  the 
theme  of  discussion  in  Massachusetts.  As  early  as  1775, 
a  Worcester  convention  had  resolved,  that  "  we  abhor  the 
enslaving  of  any  of  the  human  race,  and  particularly  of 
the  negroes  in  this  country  ;  and  that,  whenever  there  shall 
be  a  door  opened,  or  o];)portunity  presented,  for  anything 
to  be  done  toward  the  emancipation  of  the  negroes,  we 
will  use  our  influence  and  endeavor  that  such  a  thing  may 
be  brought  about."  ^  Massachusetts  never  sanctioned  sla- 
very ;  on  the  contrary,  at  various  times  she  showed  her  utter 
abhorrence  of  the  same.  In  1783,  the  Supreme  Judicial 
Court  pronounced  a  judgment,  in  the  county  of  Worcester, 
which  was  a  final  decision  unfavorable  to  the  existence 
of  slavery  in  Massachusetts.  Five  years  later  the  slave 
trade  was  prohibited;  and  "though  many  who  had  been 
held  in  bondage  continued  as  servants  in  the  families  of 
their  masters  during  their  lives,  at  the  opening  of  the  nine- 

'  Lincoln's  Hist,  of  Worcester,  110. 


ADOPTION  OF   THE  STATE   CONSTITUTION.        351 

teentli  ceutuiy  there  were  few  sucli  left,  and  the  institution 
died  a  natural  death."  ^ 

In  the  winter  of  1784-5,  Air.  Hancock  declined  a  re-elec- 
tion to  his  office,  and  in  the  following  spring,  James  Bow- 
doin  was  chosen  by  the  legislature  governor  of  Massachu- 
setts. As  a  public  man,  this  country  is  greatly  indebted 
to  Governor  Hancock.  He  was  not  a  man  of  great  in- 
tellectual force  by  nature,  but  he  possessed  traits  which  dis- 
tinguished him  from  most  men,  and  qnalified  him  to  preside 
in  popular  assemblies  with  great  dignity.  He  was  most 
faithfully  devoted  to  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  it  is 
a  high  eulogy  on  his  patriotism,  that  when  the  British  gov- 
ernment offered  pardon  to  all  the  rebels  for  all  their  offences, 
Hancock  and  one  other  —  Samuel  Adams  —  were  the  only 
persons  to  whom  this  grace  was  denied. 

Governor  Bowdoin  was  not  elected  by  the  people,  but 
he  had  the  highest  number  of  votes,  and  was  constitutionally 
chosen  by  the  senate.  He  belonged  to  one  of  the  first 
families  in  the  state,  and  had  the  reputation  of  being  a 
man  of  learning.  A  perusal  of  his  official  communications 
to  the  legislature  shows,  also,  that  he  was  governed  by 
a  high  sense  of  duty,  and  by  an  enlightened  perception 
of  what  his  duty  was.  During  his  administration,  a  con-< 
vention  was  held  at  Portland,  for  the  purpose  of  forming 
the  District  of  Maine  into  a  separate  state.  Tliis  conven- 
tion was  followed  by  two  others  for  a  similar  purpose ;  but 
the  opposition  proved  too  strong  for  the  party  favoring 
a  separation,  and  at  the  end  of  a  year's  discussion,  the 
subject  was  rocked  into  a  slumber,  from  which  it  Avas  not 
aroused  until  after  many  years. 

Upon  his  re-election,  in  1786,  by  three  fourths  of  the  votes 

'  Barry,  iii.  189. 


352  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  the  whole  state,  Governor  Bowdoin  urged  upon  the 
attention  of  the  Icgishiture  the  interests  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege, and  proposed  that  all  former  grants  of  land  be  secured, 
and  a  portion  in  the  new  township  reserved  for  its  use. 
He  reminded  them  that  it  was  always  an  object  dear  to 
their  fathers ;  that  even  the  British  government  had  ex- 
tended to  the  institution  its  fostering  care  ;  and  he  expressed 
his  confidence  that  a  republican  legislature  could  not  neg- 
lect the  interests  of  science.  At  the  same  time  he  spoke 
of  the  finances  of  the  state,  saying  that  a  large  amount 
of  interest  was  due  on  army  notes  and  other  public  se- 
curities ;  a  great  part  of  the  former  taxes  remained  uncol- 
lected ;  and  the  portion  required  of  the  state  by  Congress, 
for  the  arrears  of  three  past  years,  with  the  additional 
sum  for  the  present  year,  reached  in  the  whole  almost  a 
million  and  a  half  of  dollars.  This,  indeed,  was  a  heavy 
tax,  and  the  exhibit  was  alarming  and  discouraging  to  the 
people. 

A  dispute  with  regard  to  the  claim  of  Massachusetts  to 
a  part  of  the  territory  west  of  the  Hudson  River,  had 
lorlff  existed  between  this  Commonwealth  and  the  State  of 
New  York.  New  York,  at  first,  denied  entirely  the  right 
of  Massachusetts  to  any  lands  west  of  that  river,  and 
claimed  the  territory  as  far  west  as  the  United  States  ex- 
tended, till  it  interfered  with  the  British  possessions,  while 
Massachusetts  laid  claim  to  all  that  tract  of  land  beyond 
a  certain  distance  west  of  the  Hudson,  and  clearly  within 
the  early  patent  of  New  York,  and  lying  between  the 
southern  and  northern  limits  of  the  patent  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay.  Agents  of  the  two  states  met  at  Hartford,  and 
in  December,  1786,  they  agreed  that  Massachusetts  should 
have  the  pre-emptive  right  to  two  large  tracts  of  land  within 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  STATE   CONSTITUTION.        353 

the  bounds  it  claimed,  being  in  tlie  whole  about  five  millions 
of  acres,  two  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  of  which  were 
situated  near  the  centre  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
the  other,  a  larger  tract,  in  the  more  western  part  of  the 
state,  bordering  on  Lake  Erie  ;  the  jurisdiction  over  the 
whole,  however,  to  be  in  New  York.  On  her  part,  Massa- 
chusetts relinquished  the  residue  of  her  claim  forever  to 
New  York,  excepting  the  most  western  part  of  tlie  original 
ckiini  of  Massachusetts,  west  of  the  lake  and  within  the 
southern  and  northern  boundaries  before  mentioned,  which 
had  been  previously  granted  and  ceded  to  Congress,  and 
formed  a  part  of  the  northern  and  western  territory  of  the 
United  States,  bordering  on  the  Biitish  possessions.  In 
1787,  the  boundary  line  of  the  two  states  was  adjusted  by 
skilful  mathematicians  and  the  geographer  of  the  United 
States, 

Of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people,  of  the  state 
of  society  at  the  close  of  the  revolution,  and  of  the  prog- 
ress which  had  been  made  within  a  few  years,  something 
should  be  said.  In  1781,  Boston  presented  to  a  French 
traveller  "  a  magnificent  prospect  of  houses,  built  on  a 
curved  line,  and  extending  afterwards  into  a  semicircle 
above  half  a  league."  "  These  edifices,"  says  the  same 
traveller,  "  which  were  lofty  and  regular,  with  spires  and 
cupolas  intermixed  at  proper  distances,  did  not  seem  to 
us  a  modern  settlement  so  much  as  an  ancient  city,  en- 
joying all  the  embellishments  and  population  that  never 
fail  to  attend  on  commerce  and  the  arts."  "  The  inside 
of  the  town  does  not  at  all  lessen  the  idea  that  is  formed 
by  an  exterior  prospect.  A  superb  M'harf  has  been  car- 
ried out  above  two  thousand  feet  into  the  sea,  and  is  broad 
enough  for  stores  and  workshops  through  the  whole  of  its 
45 


354  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

extent.^  It  communicates  at  right  angles  with  the  prin- 
cipal street  of  the  town,  which  is  both  large  and  spacious, 
and  bends  in  a  curve  parallel  to  the  harbor.  This  street," 
—  since  known  as  Washington  Street,  —  "  is  ornamented 
with  elegant  buildings,  for  the  most  part  two  or  three 
stories  high  ;  and  many  other  streets  terminate  in  this, 
communicating  with  it  on  each  side.  The  form  and  con- 
struction of  the  houses  would  surprise  a  European  eye. 
They  are  built  of  brick  and  wood  —  not  in  the  clumsy 
and  melancholy  taste  of  our  ancient  European  towns,  but 
regularly,  and  well  provided  with  windows  and  doers. 
The  woodwork,  or  frame,  is  light,  covered  on  the  out- 
side with  thin  boards,  well  planed,  and  lapped  over  each 
other,  as  we  do  tiles  on  our  roofs  in  France.  These  build- 
ings are  generally  painted  with  a  pale  white  color,  which 
renders  the  prospect  much  more  pleasing  than  it  would 
otherwise  be.  The  roofs  are  set  off  with  balconies,  doubt- 
less for  the  more  ready  extinguisliing  of  fire.  The  whole 
is  supported  by  a  wall  about  a  foot  high.  It  is  easy  to  see 
how  great  an  advantage  these  houses  have  over  ours  in  point 
of  neatness  and  salubrity. 

"  Their  household  furniture  is  simple,  but  made  of  choice 
wood,  after  the  English  fashion,  which  renders  its  appearance 
less  gay.  Their  floors  are  covered  with  handsome  carpets 
or  painted  cloths  ;  but  others  sprinkle  them  with  fine  sand. 
The  city  is  supposed  to  contain  about  six  thousand  houses, 
and  thirty  thousand  inhabitants.  There  are  nineteen  churches 
for  the  several  sects  here,  all  of  them  convenient,  and  several 
finished  with  taste  and  elegance  —  especially  those  of  the 
Presbyterians  and  the  Church  of  England.  Their  form  is 
generally   a  long   square,    ornamented   with   a  pulpit,   and 

^  Long  Wharf  is  here  alluded  to. 


ADOPTION  OF   THE  STATE   CONSTITUTION.       355 

furnished  with  pews  of  a  similar  fabrication  throughout.  The 
poor  as  well  as  the  rich  hear  the  word  of  God  in  these  places, 
in  a  convenient  and  decent  posture  of  body. 

"  Sunday  is  observed  with  the  utmost  strictness.  All 
business,  how  important  soever,  is  then  totally  at  a  stand, 
and  the  most  innocent  recreations  and  pleasures  are  prohibit- 
ed. Boston,  that  populous  town,  where  at  other  times  there 
is  such  a  hurry  of  business,  is  on  this  day  a  mere  desert.  You 
may  walk  the  streets  without  meeting  a  single  person  ;  or 
if,  by  chance,  you  meet  one,  you  scarcely  dare  to  stop  and 
talk  with  him.  A  Frenchman  that  lodged  with  me  took  it 
into  his  head  to  play  on  the  flute  on  Sundays  for  his  amuse- 
ment. The  people  upon  hearing  it  were  greatly  enraged, 
collected  in  crowds  round  the  doors,  and  would  have  carried 
matters  to  extremity  in  a  short  time  with  the  musician,  had 
not  the  landlord  given  him  warning  of  his  danger,  and  forced 
him  to  desist.  Upon  this  day  of  melancholy,  you  cannot  go 
into  a  house  but  you  find  the  whole  family  employed  in 
reading  the  Bible  ;  and,  indeed,  it  is  an  affecting  sight  to  see 
the  father  of  a  family,  surrounded  by  his  household,  explain- 
ing to  them  the  sublime  truths  of  this  sacred  volume. 

"  Nobody  fails  here  of  going  to  the  place  of  worship  appro- 
priated to  his  sect.  In  these  places  there  reigns  a  profound 
silence  ;  an  order  and  respect  are  also  observable  which  have 
not  been  seen  for  a  long  time  in  our  Catholic  churches. 
Their  psalmody  is  grave  and  majestic  ;  and  the  harmony  of 
the  poetry,  in  their  national  tongue,  adds  a  grace  to  the 
music,  and  contributes  greatly  towards  keeping  up  the  atten- 
tion of  the  worshippers.  All  these  churches  are  destitute  of 
ornaments.  No  addresses  are  made  to  the  heart  and  the 
imagination.  There  is  no  visible  object  to  suggest  to  the 
mind  for  what  purpose  a  man  comes  into  these  places,  who 


356  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

he  is,  and  what  he  will  shortly  be.  Neither  paintings  nor 
sculptures  represent  those  great  events  which  ought  to  recall 
him  to  his  duty  and  awaken  his  gratitude ;  nor  are  those 
heroes  in  piety  brought  into  view  whom  it  is  his  duty  to 
admire  and  endeavor  to  imitate.  The  pomp  of  ceremony  is 
here  wanting  to  shadow  out  the  greatness  of  the  Being  he 
goes  to  worship.  There  are  no  processions  to  testify  the 
homage  we  owe  to  Him,  that  great  Spirit  of  the  universe, 
by  whose  will  nature  itself  exists,  and  through  whom  the 
fields  are  covered  with  harvests,  and  the  trees  are  loaded 
with  fruits. 

"  Piety,  however,  is  not  the  only  motive  that  brings  the 
American  ladies  in  crowds  to  the  various  places  of  worship. 
Deprived  of  all  shows  and  public  diversions  whatever,  the 
church  is  the  grand  theatre  Avhere  they  attend  to  display 
their  extravagance  and  finery.  There  they  come,  dressed 
off  in  the  finest  silks,  and  overshadowed  with  a  profusion  of 
the  finest  plumes.  The  hair  of  the  head  is  raised  and  sup- 
ported on  cushions  to  an  extravagant  height,  somewhat 
resembling  the  manner  in  which  the  French  ladies  wore 
their  hair  some  years  ago.  Instead  of  powdering,  they  often 
wash  the  head,  which  answers  the  purpose  well  enough,  as 
their  hair  is  commonlj^  of  an  agreeable  light  color  ;  but  the 
more  fashionable  among  them  begin  now  to  adopt  the  present 
European  method  of  setting  off  the  head  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. They  are  of  a  large  size  and  well  proportioned  ;  their 
features  generally  regular,  and  their  complexion  fair,  without 
ruddiness.  They  have  less  cheerfulness  and  ease  of  behav- 
ior than  the  ladies  of  France,  but  more  of  greatness  and 
dignity.  I  have  even  imagined  that  I  have  seen  something 
in  them  that  answers  to  the  ideas  of  beauty  we  gain  from 
the  masterpieces  of  those  artists  of  antiquity  which  are  yet 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  STATE   COx\STITUTION.      357 

extant  in  ouv  days.  The  stature  of  the  men  is  tall,  and  their 
carriage  erect ;  but  the  make  is  rather  slim,  and  the  color 
inclining  to  pale.  They  are  not  so  curious  in  their  dress  as 
the  women  ;  but  everything  about  them  is  neat  and  proper. 
At  twenty-five  years  of  age,  the  women  begin  to  lose  the 
freshness  and  bloom  of  youth  ;  and  at  thirty-five  their  beauty 
is  gone.  The  decay  of  the  men  is  equally  premature  ;  and 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  life  is  here  proportionabl}^  short. 
I  visited  all  the  burying  grounds  in  Boston,  where  it  is  usual 
to  inscribe  upon  the  stone  over  each  grave  the  name  and 
asre  of  the  deceased,  and  found  that  few  who  had  arrived 
to  a  state  of  manhood  ever  advanced  beyond  their  fortieth 
year,  fewer  still  to  seventy,  and  beyond  that  scarcel}^  any." 

Of  the  covurtry  folk  of  ^Massachusetts  our  author  speaks  as 
follows :  "  Scattered  about  among  the  forests,  the  inhabi- 
tants have  little  intercourse  with  each  other  except  when 
they  go  to  church.  Their  dwelling-houses  are  spacious, 
proper,  airy,  and  built  of  wood,  and  are  at  least  one  story  in 
height ;  and  herein  the}-  keep  all  their  furniture  and  sub- 
stance. In  all  of  them  that  I  have  seen  I  never  failed  to 
discover  traces  of  their  active  and  inventive  genius.  They 
all  know  how  to  read  ;  and  the  greater  part  of  them  take 
the  gazette  printed  in  their  village,  which  they  often  dignify 
with  the  name  of  town  or  city.  I  do  not  remember  ever  to 
have  entered  a  single  house  without  seeing  a  large  family 
Bible,  out  of  whicli  they  read  on  evenings  and  Sundaj's,  to 
their  household.  They  are  of  a  cold,  slow,  and  indolent 
disposition,  and  averse  to  labor  —  the  soil,  with  a  moderate 
tillage,  supplying  them  wdth  considerably  more  than  they 
consume.  They  go  and  return  from  their  fields  on  horse- 
back ;  and  in  all  this  country  you  will  scarcely  see  a  traveller 
on  foot.     The  mildness  of  their  character  is  as  much  owing 


358  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

to  climate  as  to  their  customs  and  manners  ;  for  you  find 
the  same  softness  of  disposition  even  in  the  animals  of 
the  country. 

"  The  Americans  of  these  parts  are  very  hospitable. 
They  have  commonly  but  one  bed  in  the  house  ;  and  the 
chaste  spouse,  although  she  were  alone,  would  divide  it  with 
her  guest  without  hesitation  or  fear.  What  history  relates 
of  the  virtues  of  the  J^oung  Lacedemonian  women  is  far  less 
extraordinary.  There  is  here  such  a  confidence  in  the  public 
virtue,  that  from  Boston  to  Providence  I  have  often  met 
young  women  travelling  alone,  on  horseback  or  in  small 
riding  chairs,  through  the  woods,  even  Avhen  the  day  was 
far  upon  the  decline.  In  these  fortunate  retreats,  the  father 
of  a  family  sees  his  happiness  and  importance  increasing  with 
the  number  of  his  children.  He  is  not  tormented  with  the 
ambitious  desire  of  placing  them  in  a  rank  of  life  in  which 
they  might  blush  to  own  him  for  a  father.  Bred  up  under 
his  eye,  and  formed  by  his  example,  they  will  not  cover  his 
old  age  with  shame,  nor  bring  those  cares  and  vexations 
upon  him  that  Avould  sink  his  gra}^  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the 
tomb.  He  no  more  fears  this  than  he  would  a  fancied  indi- 
gence that  might  one  day  come  upon  him,  wound  his  pater- 
nal feelings,  and  make  the  tender  partner  of  his  bed  repent 
that  she  was  ever  the  mother  of  his  children.  Like  him, 
they  will  bound  their  cares,  their  pleasures,  and  even  their 
ambition,  to  the  sweet  toils  of  a  rural  life  —  to  the  raising 
and  multiplying  their  herds,  and  the  cultivating  and  en- 
larging their  fields  and  orchards.  These  American  husband- 
men, more  simple  in  their  manners  than  our  peasants,  have 
also  less  of  their  roughness  and  rusticity.  More  enlightened, 
they  possess  neither  their  low  cunning  nor  dissimulation. 
Farther  removed  from  luxurious  arts,  and  less  laborious,  they 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  STATE   CONSTITUTIOX.      359 

are  not  so  much  attached  to  ancient  usages,  but  are  far 
more  dexterous  in  inventing  and  perfecting  whatever  tends 
to  the  convenienc}''  and  comfort  of  life.  Pulse,  Indian  corn, 
and  milk  are  their  most  common  kinds  of  food.  The}'-  also 
use  much  tea  ;  and  this  sober  infusion  constitutes  the  chief 
pleasure  of  their  lives.  There  is  not  a  single  person  to  be 
found  who  does  not  drink  it  out  of  china  cups  and  saucers  ; 
and  upon  your  entering  a  house,  the  greatest  mark  of  civility 
and  welcome  they  can  show  you  is  to  invite  you  to  drink  it 
with  them." 

"  What  a  spectacle,"  our  author  continues,  "  do  these 
settlements  even  now,  already  exhibit  to  our  view,  consider- 
ing that  the}'  are  of  but  little  more  than  a  century  standing  ! 
Spacious  and  level  roads  already  traverse  the  vastly  extended 
forests  of  this  country.  Large  and  costly  buildings  have 
been  raised,  either  for  the  meeting  of  the  representatives  of 
the  states,  for  an  asylum  to  the  defenders  of  their  country  in 
distress,  or  for  the  convenience  of  instructing  young  citizens 
in  language,  arts,  and  sciences.  These  last,  which  are,  for 
the  most  part,  endowed  with  considerable  possessions  and 
revenues,  are  also  furnished  with  libraries,  and  are  under  the 
direction  of  able  masters,  invited  hither  from  different  parts 
of  Europe.  Ship-yards  are  established  in  all  their  ports,  and 
they  already  rival  the  best  artists  of  the  Old  World  in  point 
of  naval  architecture.  Numerous  mines  have  been  opened  ; 
and  they  have  several  foundcries  for  casting  cannon,  which 
are  in  no  respect  inferior  to  our  own.  And  if  the  height 
of  the  architects'  skill  has  not  yet  covered  their  waters  with 
those  prodigious  bridges  which  are  wont  to  be  extended  over 
the  waves,  and  unite  the  opposite  shores  of  large  rivers,  as 
with  us,  still  industry  and  perseverance  have  supplied  the 
want   thereof.     Planks,    laid   upon   beams,    lashed   together 


360  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

with  stout  rings,  and  which  may  be  taken  apart  at  the 
pleasure  of  their  builders,  are,  by  their  buoyancy,  as  solid 
and  useful  as  our  firmest  works  designed  for  the  same  end. 
In  other  places,  where  a  river  is  too  deep  for  fixing  the  foun- 
dation of  a  bridge  on  its  bottom,  a  stout  mass  of  timber  work 
is  thrown  over,  in  a  curved  line,  supported  only  at  the 
extremities  —  the  internal  strength  of  the  structure  support- 
ing it  in  every  other  part. 

"  Every  house  and  dwelling  contains  within  itself  almost 
all  the  original  and  most  necessary  arts.  The  hand  that 
traces  out  the  furrow,  knows  also  how  to  give  the  shapeless 
block  of  wood  what  form  it  pleases  ;  how  to  prepare  the 
hides  of  cattle  for  use,  and  extract  spirit  from  the  juice  of 
fruits.  The  young  rural  maiden,  whose  charming  complex- 
ion has  not  been  turned  tawny  by  the  burning  rays  of  the 
sun,  or  withered  by  blasting  winds,  —  upon  whom  pale 
miser}^  has  never  stamped  its  hateful  impressions,  —  knows 
how  to  spin  wool,  cotton,  flux,  and  afterwards  weave  them 
into  cloth."  1 

Such  is  the  picture  of  life  in  Massachusetts  painted  by  a 
foreigner  nearly  a  century  ago.  It  has  its  pleasing  features, 
as  well  as  its  manifest  defects  ;  and  much  that  would  have 
been  to  us  interesting  is  left  unsaid.  The  author  omits  to 
tell  us  that  people  in  those  days  travelled  wholly  by  stage 
coaches  ;  that  the  arrival  of  a  coach  at  diiferent  points  was 
a  noted  incident  in  the  history  of  the  day  ;  that  the  driver 
of  a  coach  was  looked  up  to  as  a  man  of  no  little  impor- 
tance ;    and   that   the   departure    of   the    coaches   was   duly 

'  These  extracts  are  taken  from  a  rare  volume,  entitled,  "New  Travels 
through  North  America,  in  a  Series  of  Letters,  exhibiting  the  History  of 
the  Victorious  Campaign  of  the  Allied  Armies,  under  his  Excellency  General 
Washington  and  the  Count  de  Rochambeau,  in  the  year  1781,  by  the  Abbe 
Eobin,"  —  a  copy  of  which  is  in  the  Boston  Public  Library. 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  STATE   CONSTITUTION.      361 

anriounced  in  the  papers  of  the  day.  He  omits  to  say  that 
the  mails  were  conveyed  by  "  post  riders,"  and  that  the  rates 
on  single  letters  varied,  according  to  distance,  from  five  pence 
one  farthing  to  two  shillings  and  eight  pence.  lie  mentions 
the  village  "  gazette  ;  "  but  says  nothing  of  the  meanness  of 
the  paper  on  which  it  was  printed,  the  poor  quality  of  the 
ink,  and  the  inelegance  of  the  typography.  Literature  was 
cultivated  to  some  extent  in  these  days,  but  there  had  as 
yet  appeared  no  great  names  in  the  galaxy  of  American 
writers.  Every  child  knew  "  Mother  Goose's  Melodies  "  by 
heart;  and  the  "  New  England  Primer  "  was  read  in  every 
school. 

The  domestic  habits  of  the  father  were  those,  also,  of  the 
son,  being  handed  down  from  one  generation  to  another. 
People  generally  indulged  in  but  few  amusements.  The- 
atrical exhibitions  were  thought  to  tend  to  looseness  and 
immorality,  and  were,  therefore,  for  a  long  time  prohibited. 
It  was  not  until  1794  that  the  first  "  play  house "  was 
erected  in  Boston.  The  old  folks  also  frowned  ujDon  the  art 
of  dancing,  but  their  abhorrence  did  not  jjrevent  the  younger 
portion  of  the  community  from  tripping,  at  "  husking  par- 
ties," to  the  music  of  "fiddle  and  flute." 

With  regard  to  dress,  "  gentlemen  wore  hats  with,  broad 
brims,  turned  up  into  three  corners,  with  loops  at  the  sides  ; 
long  coats,  with  large  pocket  folds  and  cuffs,  and  witliout 
collars.  The  buttons  were  commonl}''  plated,  but  sometimes 
of  silver,  often  as  large  as  a  half  dollar.  Shirts  had  bosoms 
and  wrist  ruffles  ;  and  all  wore  gold  or  silver  shirt  buttons 
at  the  wrist,  united  by  a  link.  The  waistcoat  was  long, 
with  large  pockets  ;  and  the  neckcloth,  or  scarf,  was  of  fine 
white  linen,  or  figured  stuff,  broidered,  and  the  ends  hung 
loosely  upon  the  breast.  The  breeches  were  usually  close, 
46 


362  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

with  silver  buckles  at  the  knee.  The  legs  were  covered  unth 
long  gray  stockings,  which,  on  holidays,  were  exchanged  for 
black  or  white  silk.  Boots  with  broad  white  tops,  or  shoes 
with  straps  and  large  silver  buckles,  completed  the  equip- 
ment. 

"  Ladies  wore  caps,  long,  stiff  stays,  and  high-heeled 
shoes.  Their  bonnets  were  of  silk  or  satin,  and  usually 
black.  Gowns  were  extremely  long-waisted,  with  tight 
sleeves.  Another  fashion  was  very  short  sleeves,  with  an 
immense  frill  at  the  elbow,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  arm  naked. 
A  large,  flexible  hoop,  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter,  was 
for  some  time  quilted  into  the  hem  of  the  gown,  making  an 
immense  display  of  the  lower  person.  A  long,  round  cush- 
ion, stuffed  with  cotton  or  hair,  and  covered  with  black 
crape,  was  laid  across  the  head,  over  w^liich  the  hair  was 
combed  back  and  fastened.  It  was  almost  the  universal 
custom," also,  for  women  to  wear  gold  beads  —  thirty-nine 
little  hollow  globes,  about  the  size  of  a  pea,  hung  on  a  thread, 
and  tied  round  the  neck.  Sometimes  this  string  -would 
prove  false  to  its  trust,  —  at  an  assembly,  perhaps,  —  and 
then,  O,  such  a  time  to  gather  them  up  before  they  should 
be  trampled  on  and  ruined  !  Working  women  Avore  petti- 
coats and  half  gowns,  drawn  with  a  cord  round  the  waist, 
and  neat's  leather  shoes.  Women  did  not  go  a  shopping 
every  day  then  ;  there  were  few  shops  to  go  to,  and  those 
contained  only  such  articles  as  were  indispensable,  and  in 
very  limited  variety."  ^ 

In  the  spring  of  1784  the  census  of  the  state  was  taken. 
It  showed  an  aggregate  population  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  thousand  souls,  of  whom  four  thousand  three 
hundred   and   seventy-seven   were   blacks.     The   census   of 

'  Lewis,  Hist,  of  Lynn,  220,  221. 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  STATE   CONSTITUTION.      363 

1776  showed  a  population  of  three  hundred  and  forty-nine 
thousand ;  and  the  small  increase  in  the  period  of  eight 
years  was  owing  partly  to  the  losses  sustained  by  the 
war,  and  partly  to  the  removal  of  many  families  to  other 
states. 


364  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

SHAYS'  REBELLION. 

The  revolutionary  war  brought  serious  embarrassments, 
both  public  and  private.  One  mode  of  relief,  after  the 
war  ended,  was  to  engage  in  commerce  ;  and  all  who  had 
credit  in  England  engaged  in  importing  English  manufac- 
tures. This  traffic  drained  the  country  of  specie,  and  in- 
troduced articles  of  luxury,  which  the  inhabitants  needed 
not,  and  for  which  they  contracted  debts,  which  they  could 
not  pay.  From  such  causes  financial  embarrassments  were  in- 
creased. Importations  were  discountenanced,  and  those  who 
made  them,  not  only  made  bad  debts,  but  attracted  pub- 
lic odium.  Frequent  insolvencies  caused  endless  prose- 
cutions, and  public,  no  less  than  private  credit,  was  well 
nigh  ruined.  In  the  late  Avar,  Massachusetts  had  furnished 
one  third  of  all  the  effective  force,  and  as  its  proportion 
of  the  national  debt,  the  state  owed  five  millions  of  dol- 
lars. On  its  own  account,  and  not  as  a  member  of  the 
Union,  it  owed  over  four  millions  of  dollars  ;  to  the  sol- 
diers and  officers  which  it  had  sent  to  the  war  it  owed 
upward  of  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  thus  making  its 
total  debt  nearly  ten  millions  of  dollars.  The  resources  of 
the  state  to  pay  so  much  of  this  debt  as  Avas  immedi- 
ately payable,  were  only  the  revenues  derived  from  im- 
portation in  the  low  state  of  commerce,  direct  taxation  on 


SHAVS'   REBELLION.  365 

estates,  and  polls  of  persons  overwhelmed  with  embarrass- 
ments.^ 

This  condition  of  affairs  brought  on  a  state  of  high  excite- 
ment. In  different  parts  of  the  state  armed  combinations 
arose,  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  sitting  of  the 
courts,  and  this  object  was  effected  in  many  of  the  counties. 
Lawyers  were  associated  with  the  general  distress,  and  were 
considered  to  be  principal  causers  of  it,  merely  from  the 
performance  of  professional  duties.  Ere  long  intelligent 
citizens  caught  up  the  mob  spirit  created  by  the  igno- 
rant demacfOirues  of  the  several  communities,  and  when  the 
infuriated  resorted  to  arms,  and  refused  to  i:)ay  the  price 
of  their  privileges,  nothing  but  vigilance  could  oppose 
their  fury,  and  quell  the  tumult  occasioned  by  their  mis- 
conduct. 

In  August,  1786,  a  convention,  composed  of  delegates 
from  about  fifty  towns  in  the  county  of  Hampshire,  was 
held  at  Hatfield.  This  convention  continued  in  session 
three  days,  and  announced  its  object  to  be  "  to  consider 
and  provide  a  remedy  for  the  existing  grievances."  The 
delegates  first  voted,  that  "  the  convention  was  constitu- 
tional," and  then  proceeded  to  consider  the  causes  of  com- 
plaint among  the  people.  They  alleged  that  the  senate  in 
the  legislature  was  a  restraint  upon  their  immediate  depu- 
ties or  agents ;  they  objected  to  the  rule  of  representa- 
tion as  unequal ;  insisted  that  all  salaries  ought  to  be 
granted  annually,  and  all  civil  ofiicers  be  appointed  by  the 
General  Court.  They  believed  that  fees  for  judges  and 
others  were  too  great,  the  courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  of 
Sessions  were  unnecessary,  and  the  salaries  of  public  officers, 
in   general,  were   too   high.     With   regard   to   the  state  of 

•  Familiar  Letters,  2-3. 


366  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  finances,  they  proposed  that  paper  bills  should  be  issued, 
be  made  a  tender,  and  be  received  in  payment  of  public  se- 
curities and  other  notes ;  they  also  declared  that  the  con- 
stitution should  be  revised  and  altered,  and  passed  a  vote 
that  the  governor  should  be  required  to  call  the  Gen- 
eral Court  together  immediately  to  act  upon  these  various 
subjects. 

Such  proceedings  were  naturally  calculated  to  encourage 
the  lawless ;  and,  four  days  after  the  rising  of  the  con- 
vention, an  armed  mob  assembled  in  Northampton,  and 
prevented  the  sitting  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  As 
soon  as  the  governor  had  received  tidings  of  this  out- 
break, he  issued  a  proclamation  forbidding  all  assemblies 
of  the  people  for  unlawfid  purposes,  and  calling  upon  the 
officers  of  the  government  and  the  good  citizens  of  the 
commonwealth  to  aid  in  suppressing  such  dangerous  com- 
binations. This  proclamation,  however,  had  little  effect,  and 
the  spirit  of  insurrection  which  was  burning  in  Worcester 
and  Hampshire   spread  rapidly  into  other  counties. 

In  September  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  Worcester 
county  was  not  suffered  to  be  opened,  and  a  few  days 
later,  an  insurgent  gathering  resolved  to  prevent  the  regu- 
lar session  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  Springfield.  The  gov- 
ernor, being  acquainted  of  this  latter  project,  ordered  General 
Shepard,  with  a  body  of  six  hundred  of  the  miUtia,  to  op- 
pose any  violent  proceedings.  On  the  26th  of  the  month 
the  troops  were  posted  on  duty,  and  the  judges  prepared 
to  hold  court ;  but  the  insurgents,  under  the  leadership  of 
Daniel  Shays,  also  assembled  in  superior  numbers.  These 
insurgents  threatened  all  who  refused  to  join  them,  and 
their  whole  conduct  was  insolent.  They  requested  of  the 
judges  that  no  indictments  might  be  sustained  against  any 


SHAYS'  REBELLION.  ^07 

of  their  party  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  judges  refused  to 
receive  any  message  from  the  rioters,  and  exhil)ited  great 
firmness.  So  great  became  the  ah\rm  of  the  citizens,  that 
it  AA-as  concluded  to  adjourn  the  court  on  the  third  day  of 
the  session.     On  the  same  day  the  mob  dispersed. 

At  the  opening  of  the  General  Court  on  the  last  of  tlie 
month,  the  governor  reviewed  the  late  proceedings,  and 
declared  that  there  was  need  of  some  efficient  measures  to 
restore  tranquillity  ;  at  the  same  time  he  expressed  a  desire 
that  all  suitable  forbearance  and  relief  should  be  extended 
to  the  people  under  their  heavy  burdens.  The  General 
Court  censured  the  conduct  of  the  insurgents,  and,  after 
some  discussion,  suspended  the  privilege  of  the  writ  of 
habeas  corpus  for  eight  months.  This  was  a  great  relief  to 
the  governor,  for  there  was  a  disposition  manifested  by  a 
portion  of  the  citizens  to  represent  his  firmness  as  severity, 
and  to  charge  him  with  a  want  of  feeling  for  the  distresses 
of  the  people.  But  proof  was  thus  afforded  that  all  branches 
of  the  legislature  were  alarmed  at  the  violent  proceedings  of 
the  insurgents,  and  were  united  in  support  of  tlie  consti- 
tuted authorities  of  the  state. 

In  the  mean  time  disturbances  were  renewed,  and  tlie 
governor,  as  commander-in-chief,  called  upon  the  officei"s- 
of  the  militia  to  see  that  their  divisions  were  organized  and 
equipped  to  take  the  field  at  the  shortest  notice.  Warrants 
Avere  issued  for  the  arrest  and  imprisonment  of  the  leaders 
of  the  insurgents  in  Middlesex,  and  toward  the  last  of  No- 
vember three  of  the  rioters  were  taken  to  Boston  and  cast 
into  jail.  The  rebels  were  not  disheartened,  and  still 
avowed  a  determination  to  "  seek  redress  of  tlieir  griev- 
ances in  any  way  which  was  practicable."  They  prepared 
to   prevent   the   sitting  of  the    Court  of  Common  Pleas  at 


368  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.     ' 

Worcester,  in  December  ;  but  having  assembled  to  the  num- 
ber of  three  liunclred  and  fifty,  they  Tvere  opposed  by  the 
militia,  and  driven  to  an  eminence  before  the  court-house. 
On  the  6th,  Shays  arrived  with  re-enforcements,  and  thus 
the  number  of  the  rioters  was  swelled  to  nearly  a  thou- 
sand. In  great  alarm,  the  courts  adjourned,  after  being 
subjected  to  repeated  insults  ;  and  soon  after  the  insurgents 
themselves  left  Worcester. 

Proceedings  equall}^  disgraceful  took  place  also  in  other 
counties,  and  at  length  matters  had  gone  too  far  to  be 
peaceably  settled.  To  the  government  only  one  alterna- 
tive was  left,  namely,  to  act.  The  advice  of  the  Coun- 
cil was  sought,  and  with  their  approval,  orders  were  issued 
for  the  raising  of  a  body  of  forty-four  hundred  rank  and 
file  from  the  different  counties,  with  four  regiments  of  ar- 
tillery from  Suffolk  and  jMiddlesex.  General  Lincoln  was 
placed  in  command  of  these  troops.  This  proceeding  re- 
stored quiet  at  the  east,  but  the  Avestern  part  of  the  state 
was  still  a  flame.  Luke  Da}^  of  Springfield,  the  master 
spirit  of  the  insurrection,  had  assembled  four  hundred  men, 
well  armed,  and  was  preparing  to  attack  the  arsenal  at 
Springfield.  Shays,  also,  with  three  hundred  of  his  fol- 
lowers, was  in  the  neighborhood.  General  Shepard,  with 
nine  hundred  men,  took  possession  of  the  post,  and  awaited 
the  conflict. 

On  the  25th  of  January,  1787,  the  insurgents  prepared  to 
storm  the  arsenal,  and  Day  sent  an  insolent  message  to 
General  Shepard,  demanding  that  the  troops  in  Springfield 
should  lay  down  their  arms,  and  return  to  their  several 
homes  upon  parole.  Shepard,  however,  replied  that  he  was 
resolved  at  all  hazards  to  defend  his  post.  The  insurgents 
approached,  with  an  unbroken   front,  to  within  fifty  yards 


SHAVS'   REBELLIOX.  369 

of  the  arsenal.  General  Shepard  gave  the  order  to  fire,  and 
a  pitiable  scene  of  confusion  was  the  result.  "  Murder  I  " 
shouted  the  mob,  as  thev  fled  in  disorder  to  Ludlow,  ten 
miles  distant.  Shars  and  his  followers  then  withdrew  to 
Chicopee,  while  Day  remained  inactive  at  West  Springfield. 

On  the  27th  General  Lincoln  arrived,  and  immediatelv  set 
out  in  pursuit  of  Day.  General  Shepard,  with  the  Hamp- 
shire troops,  followed  Shays  up  the  river.  Three  days  later 
the  insurgents,  in  considerable  numbers,  posted  themselves 
at  Pelham,  and  gave  threats  of  further  hostilities.  Once 
more  the  discomfited  leader  was  ordered  to  surrender  ;  but 
this  he  refused  to  do,  except  "  on  the  condition  of  a  gen- 
eral pardon."  While  the  General  Court,  again  in  session, 
was  approving  the  conduct  of  the  governor,  and  was  passing 
severe  measures  for  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion.  Shays 
withdrew  his  forces  to  Petersham,  and  was  quickly  pursued 
by  Lincoln.  On  the  night  of  the  4th  of  February  the 
forces  of  the  latter  entered  the  town.  The  rebels,  who 
had  been  reposing  in  fancied  security,  fled  precipitously. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  of  them,  however,  were  taken  as 
prisoners,  and  then  dismissed  to  their  homes,  after  having 
taken  the  oath  of  allegiance. 

This  victory  tended  to  encourage  the  friends  of  the  gov- 
ernment, many  of  whom  believed  that  the  rebellion  was 
now  virtually  at  an  end.  A  reward  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  was  issued  for  the  apprehension  of  the  leaders 
of  the  insurgents :  the  visrilance  of  the  government  was 
fully  aroused,  and  hundreds  of  the  patriotic  citizens  rallied  in 
defence  of  the  constitution.  The  House  promised  indem- 
nity to  the  rebels  on  the  conditions  that  they,  ''  having  laid 
down  their  arms,  and  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
commonwealth,  should  keep  the  peace  for  three  years,  and, 
47 


370  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

during  that  term,  sliould  not  serve  as  jurors,  be  eligible  to 
any  town  office,  or  any  other  office  under  the  government, 
should  not  hold  or  exercise  the  employment  of  school- 
masters, innkeepers,  or  retailers  of  spirituous  liquors,  or  give 
their  votes  for  the  same  term  of  time  for  any  officer,  civil 
or  military,  within  the  commonwealth,  unless  they  should, 
after  the  first  day  of  May,  1788,  exhibit  plenary  evidence 
of  their  having  returned  to  their  allegiance  and  kept  the 
peace,  and  of  their  possessing  such  an  unequivocal  attach- 
ment to  the  government  as  should  appear  to  the  General 
Court  a  sufficient  ground  to  discharge  them  from  all  or 
any  of  these  disqualifications."  Those  absolutely  excepted 
from  the  indemnity  were  "  such  as  were  not  citizens  of  the 
state,  such  as  had  been  members  of  any  General  Court 
in  the  state,  or  had  been  employed  in  any  commissioned 
office,  civil  or  military ;  such  as,  after  delivering  up  their 
arms,  and  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  during  the  rebellion, 
had  again  taken  and  borne  arms  against  the  government ; 
such  as  had  acted  as  committees,  counsellors,  or  advisers 
to  the  rebels ;  and  such  as,  in  former  3-ears,  had  been 
in  arms  against  the  government,  in  the  capacity  of  com- 
missioned officers,  and  were  afterwards  pardoned,  and  had 
been  concerned  in  the   rebellion."  ^ 

To  many  these  measures  appeared  to  be  judicious,  while 
others  were  led  to  suppose  that  '•  if  the  number  of  the 
disfranchised  had  been  less,  the  public  peace  would  have 
been  equally  safe,  and  the  general  happiness  promoted." 
General  Lincoln  sided  with  this  latter  class,  and  gave  ex- 
pression to  his  statesmanhke  views  on  the  subject  in  a  letter 
which  he  addressed  to  "Washincjton.  With  regard  to  the 
Indemnity  Act,  he   observes   that   it    "  includes   so   great  a 

'  Minot,  Hist,  of  the  Insurrection,  138. 


SHAYS'  REBELLION.  37 1 

description  of  persons,  that,  in  its  operation,  many  towns 
will  be  disfranchised.  This  will  injure  the  whole  ;  for  mul- 
tiplied disorders  must  be  experienced  under  such  circum- 
stances. The  people  who  have  been  in  arms  against  the 
government,  and  their  abettors,  have  complained,  and  do 
now  complain,  that  grievances  exist,  and  that  they  ought 
to  have  redress.  We  have  invariably  said  to  them,  '  You 
are  wrong  in  flying  to  arms ;  you  should  seek  redress  in 
a  constitutional  way,  and  wait  the  decision  of  the  legisla- 
ture.' These  observations  were  undoubtedly  just ;  but  will 
they  not  now  complain,  and  say  that  we  have  cut  them 
off  from  all  hope  of  redress  from  that  quarter,  for  we  have 
denied  them  a  representation  in  that  legislative  body  by 
whose  laws  they  must  be  governed.  While  they  are  in 
this  situation  thej'  never  will  be  reconciled  to  government, 
nor  will  they  submit  to  the  t^rms  of  it  from  any  other 
motive  than  fear,  excited  by  a  constant  military  armed  force 
ext€nded  over  them. 

"  While  these  distinctions  are  made,  the  subjects  of  them 
will  remain  invidious,  and  there  will  be  no  affection  exist- 
ing among  the  inhabitants  of  the  same  neighborhood  or 
families,  where  they  have  thought  and  acted  differently. 
Those  who  have  been  opposers  to  government  will  view 
with  a  jealous  eye  those  Mho  have  been  supporters  of  it, 
and  consider  them  as  the  cause  which  produced  the  dis- 
qualifying act,  and  who  are  now  keeping  it  alive.  Many 
will  never  submit  to  it.  They  will  rather  leave  the  state 
than  do  it.  And  if  we  could  reconcile  ourselves  to  this 
loss,  and  on  its  account  make  no  objection,  yet  these  peo- 
ple will  leave  behind  them  near  and  dear  connections,  who 
will  feel  themselves  wounded  through  their  friends. 

*'  The  influence  of  these  people  is  so  fully  checked,  that 


372  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

we  have  nothing  to  apprehend  from  them  now  but  their 
individual  votes.  When  this  is  the  case,  to  express  fears 
from  that  quarter  is  impolitic.  Admit  that  some  of  these 
very  people  should  obtain  a  seat  in  the  Assembly  the  next 
year,  we  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  measure ;  so  far 
from  that,  I  think  it  would  produce  the  most  salutary 
effects.  For  my  own  part,  I  wish  that  those  in  general 
who  should  receive  a  pardon  were  at  liberty  to  exercise 
all  the  rights  of  good  citizens;  for  I  believe  it  to  be  the 
only  way  Avhich  can  be  adopted  to  make  them  good  mem- 
bers of  society,  and  to  reconcile  them  to  that  government 
under  which  we  wish  them  to  live.  If  we  are  afraid  of 
their  weight,  and  they  are  for  a  given  time  deprived  of 
certain  privileges,  they  will  come  forth  hereafter  with  re- 
doubled vigor.  I  think  we  have  much  more  to  fear  from 
a  certain  supineness  which  has  seized  on  a  great  propor- 
tion of  our  citizens,  who  have  been  totally  inattentive  to 
the  exercise  of  those  rights  conveyed  to  them  by  the  con- 
stitution of  this  commonwealth.  If  the  good  people  of  the 
states  will  not  exert  themselves  in  the  appointment  of  proper 
characters  for  the  executive  and  legislative  branches  of  gov- 
ernment, no  disfranchising  acts  will  ever  make  us  a  happy 
and  well  governed  people. 

"  I  cannot,  therefore,  on  the  whole,  but  think  that,  if  the 
opposers  to  government  in  general  had  been  disqualified, 
on  a  pardon,  from  serving  as  jurors  on  the  trial  of  those 
who  had  been  in  sentiment  with  them,  we  should  have 
been  perfectly  safe.  For,  as  I  observed,  these  people  have 
now  no  influence  as  a  body,  and  their  individual  votes  are 
not  to  be  dreaded  ;  for  we  certainly  shall  not  admit  that 
the  majority  is  with  them  in  their  political  sentiments.     If 


SHAVS'   REBELLIOIV.  373 

they  arc,    how,  upon   republican   principles,    can   wc  justly 
exclude  them  from  the  ri^ht  of  governino:  ?  "  ^ 

o  o  o 

Disturbances  had  now  in  a  great  measure  subsided,  and 
the  General  Court  passed  a  resolution  for  holding  special 
sessions  of  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court  in  the  counties  of 
Hampshire,  Berkshire,  and  Middlesex  for  the  trial  of  per- 
sons who  had  been  taken  into  custody  on  account  of  the 
late  opposition  to  the  government.  Three  commissioners 
—  the  Hons.  Benjamin  Lincoln,  Samuel  Phillips,  Jr.,  and 
Samuel  A.  Otis  —  were  appointed,  with  authority  to  prom- 
ise indemnity  to  such  as  might  choose  to  return  to  their 
allegiance.  The  leaders.  Shays,  Wheeler,  Parsons,  and  Day, 
together  with  all  those  who  had  fired  upon,  or  killed  any 
of  the  citizens  in  the  peace  of  the  commonwealth,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  rebel  council  of  war,  and  all  persons  against 
whom  the  governor  and  council  had  issued  a  warrant,  were 
excluded  from  the  protection  of  this  commission. 

Whilst  the  government  was  desirous  of  bringing  all  real 
offenders  to  justice,  it  was  equjilly  anxious  to  afford  every 
possible  relief  to  the  people,  consistently  with  a  strict  re- 
gard for  the  public  w^elfare.  To  this  latter  end,  it  agreed 
to  lessen  the  number  of  terms  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  in  several  counties,  and  to  reduce  the  amount  of 
fees  in  various  cases  of  public  officers.  The  General  Court 
also  passed  a  bill  reducing  the  governor's  salary  one  third 
part.  On  the  ground  that  such  a  bill  was  unconstitutional, 
he   refused   his  signature  ;    and   as   it   failed   to  receive  the 

'  Barry,  iii.  251,  seq.  On  the  13th  of  March,  1787,  "Washington  replied  to 
Lincoln,  saying,  "  I  am  extremely  happy  to  find  that  your  sentiments  upon 
the  disfranchising  act  are  such  as  they  are.  Upon  my  first  seeing  it,  I  formed 
an  opinion  perfectly  coincident  with  yours,  viz.,  that  measures  more  generally 
lenient  might  have  produced  equally  as  good  an  effect,  witiiout  entirely  alienat- 
ing the  affections  of  the  people  from  the  government."  —  Sparks's  Wasliing- 
ton,  ix.  240. 


874  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

vote  required  by  the  constitution,  the  hill  was  dropped, 
and  the  legislature  was  prorogued  to  the  next  annual 
election. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court  was  employed 
in  trying  the  oifenders,  and  the  commissioners  were  mildly 
exercising  the  authority  which  had  been  intrusted  to  them. 
Of  this  commission,  the  benefit  was  taken  by  nearly  eight 
hundred  persons ;  while  of  prisoners  tried,  six  Avere  con- 
victed of  treason  in  Berkshire  county,  six  in  Hampshire, 
one  in  "Worcester,  and  one  in  Middlesex.  All  of  these  re- 
ceived sentence  of  death,  but  were  afterwards  pardoned. 
At  nearly  the  same  time  a  seditious  member  of  the  legislature 
was  sentenced  to  sit  on  the  gallows,  witli  a  rope  about  his 
neck,  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  fifty  pounds. 

Notwithstanding  the  energetic  measures  of  Bowdoin  in 
suppressing  the  rebellion,  the  attention  of  the  people  was 
once  more  turned  to  Hancock.  The  latter  was  always  the 
popular  favorite,  and  such  as  sought  relief  from  the  j)ublic 
burdens  expected  more  from  him  than  from  Bowdoin. 
Many  who  had  been,  in  principle,  opposed  to  rebellious 
measures,  and  those  who  promoted  them,  or  were  engaged 
in  them,  uniting  in  favor  of  Hancock,  constituted  a  majority 
of  the  electors. 

When  Hancock  succeeded  Bowdoin,  all  of  the  causes  of 
the  rebellion  still  remained.  "  Taxes  were  exceedingly  bur- 
densome, and  means  for  pa3-ment  wholly  inadequate.  Com- 
merce was  conducted  to  great  disadvantage,  and  mostly 
in  British  vessels.  The  importations  were  of  articles  which 
the  sensible  men  of  the  day  considered  to  be  in  part  un- 
necessary, and  in  part  worse  than  useless,  and  not  to  be 
had  without  draining  the  country  of  specie.  But  in  the 
course  of  this  year   the  aspect   of  affairs  changed  in  some 


SI/AVS'   REBELLION.  375 

degree,  and  inspired  hopes  that  difficulties  might  be  sur- 
mounted. The  fear  of  new  commotions  died  away ;  the 
courts  M'ere  no  more  impeded."  ^ 

PubHc  peace  was  gradually  restored,  and  more  enduring 
confidence  was  placed  in  the  government.  Even  the  hardi- 
est of  the  criminals,  the  leaders  in  the  late  insurrection, 
even  Parsons  and  Sha^-s,  convinced  of  their  error,  pre- 
ferred petitions  for  pardon  and  indemnit}'',  and  their  prayer 
was  granted.  Thus  the  measures  of  the  government  had 
been  completed  in  success ;  the  people  approved  of  these 
measures,  and  the  insurgents  regretted  the  part  they  had 
taken  in  the  affair,  and  craved  forgiveness.  Still,  the  re- 
bellion was  deeply  and  justly  regretted,  as  a  stain  upon  the 
character  of  the  people  of  the  state  ;  but  it  afforded  an 
opportunity  to  show  the  strength  of  a  republican  govern- 
ment, and  the  union  of  firmness  with  clemency  in  the  rulers 
served  to  attach  the  citizens  more  strongly  to  the  consti- 
tution, and  to  convince  them  of  the  necessity  of  a  supreme 
civil  authority  in  the  commonwealth. 

'  Familiar  Letters,  13. 


376  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

ADOPTION   OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION. 

On  the  14th  of  May,  1787,  about  fifty  delegates,  represent- 
atives from  eleven  different  states,  met  in  convention  in 
the  State  House  in  Philadelphia,  —  in  the  same  hall  where 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  adopted,  —  for  the 
purpose  of  framing  an  independent  constitution. 

The  convention  sat  with  closed  doors ;  and  not  even  a 
transcript  of  their  minutes  was  permitted  to  be  made  pubhc. 
The  various  disturbances  in  different  parts  of  the  land  had 
shaken  the  faith  of  many  in  the  power  of  the  multitude  to 
govern  themselves.  Said  Elbridge  Gerry,  in  the  convention, 
"  All  the  evils  Ave  experience  flow  fiom  an  excess  of  democ- 
racy. The  peojDle  do  not  want  virtue,  but  are  under  the 
dupes  of  pretended  patriots;  they  are  daily  misled  into  the 
most  baleful  measures  of  opinions.  What  was  most  to  be 
desired  was  a  central  government,  which  would  give  security 
to  all  the  states,  and  at  the  same  time  not  conflict  in  its 
powers  with  their  rights."  It  was  found  to  be  no  easy 
matter  to  arrange  satisfactoril}^  the  representation  in  the  two 
branches  of  the  proposed  government.  The  smaller  states 
were  alarmed,  lest  their  rights  should  be  infringed  upon  by 
the  overwhelming  majority  of  members  coming  from  the 
larger  ones.  This  difficulty  was  removed  by  constituting 
the  Senate,  in  which  the  states  were  represented  equally, 
without  reference  to  their  i)opulation  ;  each  being  entitled 
to  two  members,  while  in  the  House  of  Representatives  the 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.   377 

states  were  to  be  represented  in  proportion  to  their  popula- 
tion. After  four  months  of  hibor,  during  Avhich  every  article 
of  the  proposed  constitution  was  thoroughly  discussed,  the 
draught  was  finished  and  signed  by  all  the  members  present, 
with  the  exception  of  Elbridge  Gerry,  of  Massachusetts, 
George  Mason  and  Edmund  Randolph,  of  Virginia.  This 
result  was  not  obtained  without  much  discussion  ;  and  at 
one  time,  indeed,  it  was  feared  that  the  Convention  would 
dissolve,  leaving  its  work  unfinished.  Then  it  was  that 
Franklin  —  now  in  his  eightieth  year,  and  who  thirty  years 
before,  at  a  convention  in  Albany,  had  proposed  a  plan  of 
union  for  the  colonies  —  arose  and  suggested  that  they  should 
choose  a  chaplain  to  open  their  sessions  with  prayer.  "  I 
have  lived  a  long  time,"  said  he  ;  "  and  the  longer  I  live  the 
more  convincing  proofs  I  see  of  this  truth,  that  God  governs 
the  affairs  of  men.  And  if  a  sparrow  cannot  fall  to  the 
ground  without  his  notice,  is  it  possible  that  an  empire  can 
rise  without  his  aid  ?  "  At  length  the  Constitution  was  pre- 
sented to  Congress,  by  whom  it  was  submitted  to  the  people 
of  the  states  for  their  approval  or  rejection. 

On  the  9th  of  the  following  January,  a  convention  in  Mas- 
sachusetts "  for  the  purpose  of  assenting  to  and  ratifying  the 
constitution  recommended  by  the  grand  federal  convention," 
met  at  Boston.  The  three  hundred  and  fifty  members  of 
this  body  were  among  the  most  eminent  men  in  the  state. 
Governor  Hancock  was  chosen  president  of  the  convention, 
Judge  William  Gushing  vice  president,  George  llichards 
Minot,  Esq.  secretary,  and  Jacob  Kuhn  messenger.^  The 
sessions  of  the  convention  were  held  at  first  in  the  Brattle 
Street  Church  ;   but  "  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  hear- 

'  For  nearly  fifty  years  Mr.  Kuhn  served  as  messenger  to  the  General 
Court. 

48 


378  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ing,"  this  house  was  "  found  inconvenient,"  and  the  conven- 
tion therefore  adjourned  to  the  representatives'  chamber,  in 
the  Old  State  House,  and  from  thence,  at  a  kiter  date,  to  the 
"meeting-house  in  Long  Lane."  ^  At  the  instance  of  Caleb 
Strong,  afterwards  governor  of  the  state,  the  preliminary 
motion  was  voted,  "that  this  convention,  sensible  how  im- 
portant it  is  that  the  great  subject  submitted  to  their  deter- 
mination should  be  discussed  and  considered  with  moderation, 
candor,  and  deliberation,  will  enter  into  a  free  conversation 
on  the  several  parts  thereof,  by  paragraphs,  until  every 
member  shall  have  had  opportunity  to  express  his  sentiments 
on  the  same  ;  after  which,  the  convention  will  consider  and 
debate  at  large  the  question  whether  this  convention  will 
adopt  and  ratify  the  proposed  constitution,  before  any  vote 
is  taken  expressive  of  the  sense  of  the  convention  upon  the 
whole  or  any  part  thereof."  ^ 

A  long  discussion  was  held  relative  to  biennial  elections. 
Dr.  Taylor  contended  that  the  practice  of  annual  elections 
"  had  been  considered  as  a  safeguard  of  the  liberties  of  the 
people,  and  the  annihilation  of  it  the  avenue  through  which 
tyranny  would  enter ;  "  and  the  Hon.  Mr.  White  declared 
that  "  he  would  rather  they  should  be  for  six  months  than 
for  two  years."  In  reply.  Governor  Bowdoin  affirmed  that 
"if  the  revolution  of  the  heavenly  bodies  was  to  be  the 
principle  to  regulate  elections,  it  was  not  fixed  to  any  period ; 
as  in  some  of  the  systems  it  would  be  very  short,  and  in 
the  last  discovered  planet  it  would  be  eighty  of  our  j^ears." 
General  Brooks,  with  large  wisdom,  observed  that  no  in- 
stance had  been  cited  in  which  biennial  elections  had  proved 
"destructive  to  the  liberties  of- the  people  ;"  that  the  Par- 
liaments of  Great  Britain  had  been  triennial  and  septennial, 

'  Since  known  as  the  Federal  Street  Church.  *  Debates,  25,  26. 


ADOPTIOX  OF   THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.   379 

"  yet  life,  liberty,  and  property,  it  was  generally  conceded, 
were  nowhere  better  secured  than  in  Great  Britain."  The 
friends  of  biennial  elections  were  more  niuncrous  than  the 
opponents  of  the  measure,  and  consequently  carried  the 
day.  \K.  long  debate  also  took  place  on  the  mode  of  choosing 
representatives  on  property  qualifications,  and  on  the  "  three 
fifths  clause.  /  The  subject  of  slavery  was  also  considered. 

"  The  members  of  the  southern  states,"  it  was  said, 
"like  ourselves,  have  their  prejudices.  It  would  not  do  to 
abolish  slavery,  by  an  act  of  Congress,  in  a  moment,  and  so 
destroy  what  our  southern  brethren  consider  as  property. 
But  we  may  say,  that  although  slavery  is  not  smitten  by  an 
apoplexy,  3'et  it  has  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  will  die 
of  consumption."  ^  When  the  ninth  section  of  the  first 
article  of  the  constitution  was  read,  "  jNIr.  Neale,  from  Kit- 
tery,"  avc  arc  told,  "  went  over  the  ground  of  objection  to 
this  section,  on  the  idea  that  the  slave  trade  was  allowed  to 
be  continued  for  twenty  years.  His  profession,  he  said, 
obliged  him  to  bear  witness  against  anything  that  should 
favor  the  making  merchandise  of  the  bodies  of  men  ;  and 
unless  his  objection  was  removed,  he  could  not  put  his  hand 
to  the  constitution.  Other  gentlemen  said,  in  addition  to 
this  idea,  that  there  was  not  •  even  a  provision  that  the 
negroes  ever  shall  be  free;  and  General  Thompson  ex- 
claimed, '  Mr.  President,  shall  it  be  said  that,  after  we  have 
established  our  own  independence  and  freedom,  we  make 
slaves  of  others  ?  O  Washington  !  what  a  name  has  he  had  ! 
how  he  has-  immortalized  himself!  But  he  holds  those  in 
slavery  who  have  as  good  a  right  to  be  free  as  he  has.  He 
is  still  for  self;  and,  in  my  opinion,  his  character  has  sunk 
fifty  per  cent.'  "  2 

'  Debates,  68.  '  «  Debates,  143,  14-t. 


380  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

General  Heath,  at  a  later  stage  of  the  convention,  said, 
"  The  paragraph  respecting  the  migration  or  importation  of 
such  persons  as  any  of  the  states  no^y  existing  shall  think 
proper  to  admit,  is  one  of  those  considered  during  my 
absence,  and  I  have  heard  nothing  on  the  subject  save  what 
has  been  mentioned  this  morning  ;  but  1  think  the  gentle- 
men who  have  spoken  have  carried  the  matter  rather  too 
far  on  both  sides.  I  apprehend  that  it  is  not  in  our  power 
to  do  anything  for  or  against  those  who  are  in  slavery  in  the 
Southern  States.  No  gentlemen  within  these  walls  detests 
every  idea  of  slavery  more  than  I  do  ;  it  is  generally  detested 
by  the  people  of  the  commonwealth  ;  and  I  ardently  hope 
that  the  time  will  come  when  our  brethren  in  the  Southern 
States  will  view  it  as  we  do,  and  put  a  stop  to  it;  but  to 
this  we  have  no  right  to  compel  them.  Two  questions 
naturally  arise,  if  we  ratify  the  constitution :  Shall  we 
do  anything  by  our  act  to  hold  the  blacks  in  slavery  ?  or 
shall  we  become  partakers  of  other  men's  sins?  I  think 
neither  of  them.  Each  state  is  sovereign  and  independent, 
to  a  certain  degree ;  and  they  have  a  right  to,  and  will 
regulate  their  own  internal  affairs  as  to  themselves  appears 
proper.  And  shall  we  refuse  to  eat,  or  to  drink,  or  to  be 
united  with  those  who  do  not  think  or  act  just  as  we  do  ? 
Truly  not.  We  are  not  in  this  case  partakers  of  other  men's 
sins ;  for  in  nothing  do  we  voluntarily  encourage  the  slavery 
of  our  fellow-men.  A  restriction  is  laid  on  the  federal 
government,  which  could  not  be  avoided  and  a  union  take 
place.  The  federal  convention  went  as  far  as  they  could. 
The  migration  and  importation  is  confined  to  the  states  now 
existing  only ;  new  states  cannot  claim  it.  Congress,  by 
their  ordinance  for  erecting  new  states,  some  time  since, 
declared  that  the  new  states  shall  be  republican,  and  that 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.    381 

there  shall  be  no  slavery  in  them.  But  whether  those  in 
slavery  in  the  Southern  States  will  be  emancii)ated  after 
the  3'ear  1808,  I  do  not  pretend  to  determine ;  I  rather 
doubt  it."  1 

After  the  "  conversation  on  the  constitution  by  para- 
graphs "  had  ended,  and  each  article  had  been  fully  con- 
sidered, it  was  moved  "  that  this  convention  do  assent  to 
o,nd  ratify  "  the  same.  By  this  motion,  the  whole  subject 
was  brought  before  the  assembly ;  and  it  at  once  became 
evident  that  the  opponents  were  quite  as  numerous  as  the 
friends  of  the  constitution.  At  this  juncture,  in  order  to 
promote  unity.  General  Heath  moved  that,  if  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  convention  there  were  defects  in  the  constitu- 
tion, and  amendments  were  deemed  necessary,  it  might  be 
advisable  to  define  these  amendments,  and  forward  them  to 
Congress  with  the  vote  of  ratification,  as  a  signification  of 
the  wishes  of  the  state,  before  the  subject  was  fully  disposed 
of,  that  the  whole  instrument  should  be  carefully  revised. 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  draw  up  the  amendments, 
and  on  the  6th  of  February  the  main  question  was  taken, 
and  decided  in  the  affirmative,  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-seven  to  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight.  The 
amendments  to  the  constitution  were  embodied  in  nine 
articles. 

Thus  closed  the  Massachusetts  convention  for  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  constitution.  Happy  for  the  state,  and  for  the 
United  States,  a  majority  of  votes,  even  though  small,  was 
obtained  for  it.  Many  of  those  who  gave  their  vote  against 
the  constitution  might  have  been  as  honest  as  those  who 
advocated  it ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  admit  that  they  had  as 
great  wisdom  and  foresight.     Moreover,  the  former  had  de- 

>  Debates,  152,  153. 


382  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

clared  their  determination  to  support  it,  as  it  had  been 
approved  and  adopted  by  the  majority ;  while  the  Litter,  by 
whose  influence  it  was  accepted,  ranked  among  the  most 
distinguished  patriots  of  the  state.  To  no  men  was  the 
country  more  indebted  for  preservation  from  ruin,  and  for 
security  of  the  blessings  of  good  government,  than  to  those 
who  procured  the  acceptance  of  the  federal  constitution  in 
Massachusetts. 

The  constitution  having  been  ratified  by  the  vote  of  the 
requisite  number  of  states,  the  General  Congress  of  the 
United  States  resolved,  on  the  loth  of  September,  *'  that  the 
first  "Wednesday  in  Januarj^  next  be  the  day  for  appointing 
electors  in  the  several  states  which  before  the  said  day  shall 
have  ratified  the  said  constitution  ;  that  the  first  \yednesday 
in  February  next  be  the  day  for  the  electors  to  assemble  in 
their  respective  states,  and  vote  for  a  president ;  and  that 
the  first  Wednesday  in  March  next  be  the  time,  and  the 
present  seat  of  Congress  (New  York)  the  place,  for  com- 
mencing proceedings  under  said  constitution."  At  the  ap- 
pointed time  the  electors  assembled  in  their  respective  states, 
and  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  continent,  General 
Washington  was  called  to  be  president,  and  the  Hon.  John 
Adams  to  be  vice  f)resident  of  the  United  States.  On  the 
oOth  of  April,  1789,  Washington  was  solemnly  inducted 
into  his  office ;  the  oath  j)i'escribed  by  the  constitution  was 
taken  ;  the  chancellor  exclaimed,  "  Long  live  George  Wash- 
ington !  "  the  first  message  was  delivered  ;  the  replies  of  the 
Senate  and  the  House  were  returned  ;  and  thus  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  was  peaceably  established. 

Shortly  after  his  inauguration.  President  Washington  made 
the  tour  of  the  Eastern  States,  accompanied  by  his  official 
and  private  secretaries.     A  disagreement  arose  between  the 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.   383 

governor  and  the  town's  committee,  to  which  of  them 
belonged  the  honor  of  receiving  the  president  at  the  line  of 
the  town.  From  this  cause  there  was  a  long  delay,  and 
the  president  Avas  exposed  to  a  raw  north-east  wind,  by 
which  exposure  he  was  visited  by  a  severe  cold.  IMany 
other  persons  were  exposed  and  affected  in  like  manner,  and 
the  affection  became  so  general  as  to  be  called  the  Wash- 
ington influenza.  The  president  entered  Boston  on  horse- 
back. He  did  not  bow  to  the  spectators  as  he  passed,  but 
sat  on  his  horse  with  a  calm,  dignified  air.  He  remained  in 
the  town  about  a  week,  partook  of  a  public  dinner,  dined 
with  the  governor,  and  attended  an  oratorio  in  King's 
Chapel.  On  his  departure  for  Portsmouth,  he  showed  his 
regard  for  punctuality.  He  gave  notice  that  he  should 
depart  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  and  he  left  the  door 
at  the  moment.  The  escort  not  being  ready,  he  went  with- 
out them  ;  and  they  followed  and  overtook  him  on  the  way.^ 
By  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  the  citizens  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, as  well  as  the  other  states,  were  divided  into 
two  parties,  —  the  federalists  and  the  anti-federalists.  The 
former  were  friends  of  the  new  constitution,  and  the  latter 
were  its  opponents.  This  may  be  called  the  second  division 
into  parties ;  the  preceding  one,  during  the  war,  having 
been  that  of  whigs  and  tories,  borrowed  from  English  poli- 
tics, as  far  back  as  the  reign  of  the  Stuarts.  Both  the 
federalists  and  the  anti-federalists  were  honest,  and  acted 
conscientiously  in  the  advocacy  of  their  measures.  Both 
were  friendly  to  a  republican  government  and  the  union  of 
the  states.  The  names  which  they  gave  one  another,  for 
the  sake  of  mutual  disparagement,  were  still  more  false  than 
their  original  denominations  were  imperfect  and  improperly 

'  Familiar  Letters,  15. 


384  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

opposed  to  each  other.  It  may  be,  indeed,  that  "  the  fed- 
eral party  was  at  the  same  time,  aristocratic  —  favorable  to 
the  preponderance  of  the  higher  classes,  as  well  as  to  the 
power  of  the  central  government ;  "  and  that  "  the  demo- 
cratic party  Avas  also  the  local  party  —  desiring  at  once  the 
supremacy  of  the  majorit}^,  and  the  almost  entire  independ- 
ence of  the  state  governments,"  Bat  if  such  a  difference 
did  exist,  the  lines  of  demarcation  were  not  closely  drawn. 

The  General  Congress  continued  in  session  till  the  29th 
of  September,  busily  emploj'ed  in  passing  the  laws  necessary 
to  the  organization  of  the  government.  In  this  lapse  of 
time  the  construction  of  the  powers  intended  to  be  given 
was  very  ably  discussed.  The  number  of  senators  did  not 
then  exceed  eighteen.  The  number  of  representatives  at- 
tending was  about  eighty.  Among  the  subjects  debated  at 
this  Congress,  was  the  president's  power  of  aj)pointment, 
and  removal  of  the  officers  of  his  cabinet.  The  history  of 
the  country  shows  in  what  manner  this  power  may  be  used ; 
and  some,  who  were  then  opposed  to  leaving  it  to  the  presi- 
dent alone,  Avould  have  seen  their  predictions  realized  if 
they  had  survived  to  the  present  day.  It  is  perceived  now 
that  the  framers  of  the  constitution  erred  in  not  restricting 
executive  power,  and  that  the  first  legislators  erred  in  like 
manner.  Though  they  could  not  have  expected  a  succes- 
sions of  Washingtons,  they  are  excusable  for  not  dreaming 
of  Jeffersons  and  Jacksons. 

Another  point  much  debated  was,  whether  the  secretaries 
of  the  executive  should  make  reports  to  Congress.  The 
duties  and  difficulties  of  the  treasury  department  may  be 
discovered  in  ]\fr.  Ames's  remarks  in  support  of  the  proposi- 
tion. "Among  other  things,"  he  said,  "the  situation  of 
our  finances,  owing  to  a  variety  of  causes,  presents  to  the 


^i^y^' 


t^   /77  ^i 


,^/  /-A,:   ./y^    ry       yO 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.    385 

imagination  a  deep,  dark,  and  dreary  chaos,  impossible  to  be 
reduced  to  order,  unless  the  mind  of  the  architect  be  clear 
and  capacious,  and  his  power  commensurate  to  the  object. 
It  is  \\\i\\  the  intention  of  letting  a  little  sunshine  into  the 
business  that  the  present  arrangement  is  proposed."  The 
tonnage  duty  was  another  subject  considered.  Even  then 
the  spirit  that  never  tired  nor  yielded  in  favor  of  France,  till 
the  conclusion  of  the  war  in  1815,  was  clearly  apparent. 

Under  the  auspicious  influence  of  the  federal  government, 
a  mutual  confidence  was  strengthened  among  the  citizens  of 
the  commonwealth  and  of  the  United  States.  The  common 
employments  and  arts  of  life  were  encouraged  ;  commercial 
enterprises  increased ;  the  credit  of  government  was  restored 
by  wise  and  efficient  provisions  in  the  finances  of  the  country, 
the  regulation  of  foreign  commerce,  and  the  uniform  collec- 
tion of  a  revenue.  The  nation  made  rapid  advancements, 
from  a  state  of  embarrassment  and  imbecility,  to  wealth, 
power,  and  respectability. 

The  beneficial  work  begun  by  the  Congress  of  1789  was 
resumed  by  the  Congress  of  1790.  On  the  4th  of  August, 
of  this  year.  Congress  agreed  to  assume  nearly  twenty-two 
millions  of  dollars  of  the  debts  of  the  states,  which  sum  was 
apportioned  among  the  several  states  according  to  the  ex- 
penses which  each  had  incurred  during  the  late  war.  Of 
the  debt  of  Massachusetts,  between  five  and  six  millions  of 
dollars  were  assumed  by  the  general  government ,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  debt  —  amounting  to  eleven  and  a  half  mil- 
lions more  —  was  borne  by  the  state.  This  assumption  of 
the  state  debt  did  not  wholly  relieve  the  people,  and  the 
burdens  which  remained  were  a  cause  of  loud  and  frequent 
complaint.  Public  embarrassments,  however,  did  not  check 
private  enterprise.  The  whole  state  was  alive  to  the  mak- 
49 


386  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ing  of  internal  improvements.  Public  roads  were  repaired, 
turnpikes  were  projected,  and  in  1793  the  Middlesex  Canal 
was  constructed.  Attention  was  given  also  to  the  revision 
of  the  state  laws ;  the  criminal  code  was  ameliorated  bj  the 
influence  of  Governor  Hancock,  and  confinement  at  hard 
labor,  as  a  punishment,  was  substituted  for  the  disgraceful 
public  whipping  and  cropping  for  theft.  A  workhouse  was 
established  on  Castle  Island,  in  Boston  Harbor ;  and  a  few 
years  later,  the  state  prison  was  built  at  Charlestown.  The 
Sunday  law  was  likewise  revised.  Provisions  were  made  by 
the  state  for  promoting  public  education,  and  academies 
were  established  in  very  many  localities.  Before  the  close 
of  the  century  nearly  every  town  had  provided  for  the 
proper  training  of  its  youth  of  both  sexes.  About  this  time, 
also,  the  first  Sunday  schools  in  Massachusetts  were  estab- 
lished. 

In  October,  1793,  Governor  Hancock  died,  and  his  funeral 
was  conducted  with  great  ceremony.  The  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Judicial  Court  had,  up  to  this  time,  worn  robes  of 
scarlet,  faced  with  black  velvet  in  winter,  and  black  silk 
gowns  in  summer.  On  this  occasion  they  appeared  in  the 
latter ;  but  for  some  reason  they  wore  neither  robes  nor 
gowns  afterwards.  Samuel  Adams,  the  lieutenant  governor 
of  the  state,  now  assumed  the  functions  of  the  executive 
ofBce,  and  in  the  following  year  was  chosen  governor.  Of 
Mr.  Adams's  character,  nothing  could  be  said  that  has  not 
already  been  said  by  abler  pens.  A  man  whose  "pen, 
tongue,  activity  were  exerted  for  his  country,  without  fee 
or  reward  "  for  fifty  years,  could  never  be  forgotten  by  his 
posterity. 

Mr.  Adams  was  a  democrat ;  and,  being  one  of  the  ablest 
advocates  of  state  rights,  was  not,  at  first,  an  ardent  admirer 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.    387 

of  the  federal  constitution.  But,  nevertheless,  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  acknowledge  his  fealty  to  the  laws  of  the  land. 
*' I  shall  be  called  upon,"  he  said,  on  taking  the  oath  of 
lieutenant  governor,  *' to  make  a  declaration — and  I  shall 
do  it  most  cheerfully  —  that  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts is,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  a  free,  sovereign,  and 
independent  state.  I  shall  be  called  upon  to  make  another 
declaration,  with  the  same  solemnity  —  to  support  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States.  I  see  no  inconsistency  in 
this  ;  for  it  must  be  intended  that  these  constitutions  should 
mutually  aid  and  support  each  other."  ^ 

In  these  years  — 1789  to  1793 — the  French  had  made 
such  progress  in  then-  revolution  as  to  have  established  their 
National  Assembly,  and  the  "great  nation"  had  already 
become  the  terror  of  Europe.  The  tree  of  liberty  was  to 
be  planted  throughout  the  earth.  The  progress  of  French 
principles  was  ver}^  grateful  to  the  opposition  in  the  United 
States  ;  nor  to  them  only.  Man}-  of  the  federal  party  were 
rejoiced  to  see  the  coming  freedom  of  a  people  who  had  so 
essentially  aided  in  securing  that  of  their  own  country  ;  and 
in  the  course  of  the  year  1792  it  was  thought  that  a  public 
expression  of  joy  ought  to  be  made  by  the  Americans. 
Hence,  in  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere,  civic  feasts  were 
undertaken,  some  of  them  of  the  most  ludicrous  character. 
These  affairs  were  carried  to  such  a  height  of  extravagance, 
that  those  who  were  the  most  active  in  them  were  also  the 
most  willing  to  repent  of  their  folly. 

The  conduct  of  "  citizen  Genet,"  the  first  minister  from 
the  French  republic,  was  very  remarkable.  His  employers 
assumed  that  the  United  States  were  to  engage  in  the  French 
revolution,  and  authorized  him  to  commission  privateers  and 

'  Bradford,  iii.  29,  46. 


388  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

to  raise,  in  this  country,  forces  to  attack  British  and  Spanish 
possessions  on  this  side  of  the  water.  He  undertook  to 
execute  these  plans  entirely  independent  of  the  government 
of  the  United  States  ;  and  such  was  his  audaciousness,  that 
he  neglected  even  to  present  his  credentials  to  the  govern- 
ment to  which  he  was  sent.  Although  his  reception  in  this 
country  was  not  unlike  that  usually  extended  to  a  victorious 
chief,  he  at  length  found  that  he  could  not  carry  on  his 
manoeuvres  as  .independently  as  he  had  wished.  He  was 
told  that  the  government  was  determined  to  adhere  to  the 
strictest  neutrality  ;  to  which  Genet  had  no  objection,  pro- 
vided he  could  carry  on  the  war  himself.  When  told  that, 
unless  he  should  restrain  his  belligerent  operations,  he  would 
be  resisted  by  force,  he  threatened  to  appeal  from  the  presi- 
dent to  the  people  !  The  controversies  thus  occasioned  by 
the  conduct  of  Genet  were  exceedingly  embarrassing  to  the 
president,  and  gave  rise  to  dissensions  in  the  cabinet.  Genet 
was  recalled,  and  a  few  weeks  later  the  French  republic 
fell ;  and  thus  the  whole  affair  gradually  slipped  away  into 
silence.^ 

In  the  spring  of  1794,  John  Jay,  a  man  of  the  most  disin- 
terested patriotism,  and  then  Chief  Justice  of  the  United 
States,  was  sent  as  envoy  extraordinary  to  the  court  of  St. 
James,  for  the  purpose  of  negotiating  with  the  English 
government  relative  to  their  recent  depredations  upon  the 
commerce  of  the  United  States.  This  mission  was  an  unex- 
pected blow  to  the  French  party,  who,  as  soon  as  they  could 
rally,  attacked  not  only  the  mission,  but  the  administration 
also.     In  November  a  treaty  was  signed  with  Great  Bi'itain, 

•  Sparks's  Washington,  x.  387,  seq.  Hildreth's  U.  S.,  iv.  434-441.  After 
his  recall  Genet  married  a  daughter  of  Governor  Clinton,  of  New  York,  and 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  tliis  country. 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.   389 

and  in  the  following  ]\Iarch  it  arrived  in  the  United  States. 
As  soon  as  it  was  made  public,  the  whole  country  was  in- 
flamed. Not  onl}-  the  opposition,  but  a  large  portion  of 
those  who  had  supported  tlie  administration,  were  against 
the  ratification.  The  former  attacked  the  president  in  the 
most  abusive  manner  ;  and  addresses  were  sent  in  from  ncarly 
all  the  seaports,  and  from  many  interior  towns,  inveighing 
against  the  treaty.  In  Boston  only  one  man  raised  his  voice 
in  favor  of  it ;  and  at  a  town  meeting,  held  on  the  10th  of 
July,  a  loud  remonstrance  was  uttered  against  it.  The 
Chamber  of  Commerce  took  a  more  liberal  view,  and  sent 
an  address  to  the  president  unanimously  approving  the  treaty. 
"Washington's  reply  to  the  selectmen  of  Boston  plaiiil}^  shows 
the  serenity  of  a  great  and  good  mind,  under  as  trjdug  cir- 
cumstances as  could  ever  occur  to  any  man. 

"  In  every  act  of  my  administration,"  he  wrote,  "  I  have 
sought  the  happiness  of  my  fellow-citizens.  ]\Iy  system,  for 
the  attainment  of  this  object,  has  been,  to  overlook  all  per- 
sonal, local,  and  partial  considerations  ;  to  contemplate  the 
United  States  as  one  great  whole  ;  to  confide  tliat  sudden 
impressions,  when  erroneous,  would  yield  to  candid  reflection, 
and  to  consult  onl}-  the  permanent  and  substantial  interests 
of  our  country.  Nor  have  I  departed  from  this  line  of 
conduct  on  the  occasion  which  has  produced  the  resolutions 
contained  in  your  letter. 

"  Without  a  predilection  for  my  own  judgment,  I  have 
weighed  with  attention  every  argument  which  has  at  any 
time  been  brought  into  view.  But  the  constitution  is  the 
guide  which  I  never  can  abandon.  It  has  assigned  to  the 
president  the  power  of  making  treaties,  with  the  advice  and 
consent  of  the  Senate.  It  was  doubtless  supposed  that  these 
two  branches  Avould  combine,  without  passion,  and  with  the 


390  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

best  means  of  information,  those  facts  and  principles,  on 
which  the  success  of  our  foreign  relations  "will  always  depend  ; 
that  they  ought  not  to  substitute  for  their  own  convictions 
the  opinions  of  others,  or  to  seek  truth  through  any  chan- 
nel, but  that  of  a  temperate  and  well  informed  investigation. 
Under  this  persuasion,  I  have  resolved  on  the  manner  of 
executing  the  duty  before  me."  ^ 

The  treaty  was  ratified  on  the  24th  of  June  by  precisely 
a  two  thirds  majorit}'.  In  consequence,  the  citizens  of  Boston 
behaved  like  madmen ;  riots  were  frequent,  houses  Avere 
attacked,  and  Mr.  Jay  was  burned  in  effigy.  The  governor 
unwisely  refused  to  suppress  the  tumult,  alleging  that  it 
was  "  a  mere  watermelon  frolic  —  the  harmless  amusement 
of  young  persons."  2 

In  April,  1797,  Increase  Sumner,  for  several  years  a  judge 
of  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court,  was  chosen  governor  of  Mas- 
sachusetts in  the  place  of  ]Mr.  Adams,  who,  on  account  of 
the  infirmities  of  his  age,  had  refused  to  stand  a  re-election. 
In  the  same  year,  and  one  month  earlier,  John  Adams  had 
succeeded  Washington  as  president  of  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Adams,  made  up  from  natural  propensities  and  from  the 
circumstances  of  his  life,  came  to  the  presidency  at  the  time 
when  more  forbearance  and  discretion  were  required  than 
many  supposed  him  to  possess.  It  was  his  misfortune  to 
have  been  deficient  in  the  rare  excellence  of  attempting  to 
see  himself  as  others  saw  him  ;  and  he  ventured  to  act  as 
though  everybody  saw  as  he  saw  himself.  He  considered 
only  what  was  right  in  his  own  views ;  and  that  was  to  be 
carried  by  main  force,  whatever  were  the  obstacles.  To 
many  he  appeared  to  be  the  counterpart  of  a  genuine  repub- 
lican!—  tainted   with   conceits   and    affected   with    a   vanity 

'  Sparks's  Washington,  ix.  42,  '^  Bradford,  iii.  53. 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.   391 

which  entirely  disqiialiricd  him  for  the  station  he  filled. 
Hence  the  rancor  of  these,  his  opponents,  was  increased  by 
his  success.  But  after  all,  whatever  may  be  said  relative  to 
his  faults  and  his  blunders,  it  is  impossible  to  read  either  the 
man  or  his  writings,  without  believing  that  Mr.  Adams  was 
at  least  the  equal,  if  not  the  superior,  of  his  distinguished 
associates. 

When  Mr.  Adams  took  the  chair,  he  found  the  country 
involved  in  difficulties  with  France.  France  was  jealous  of 
the  "  increasing  activity  of  the  commercial  relations  betwixt 
the  United  States  and  England,"  and  seemed  desirous,  by 
her  decrees  against  American  commerce,  to  force  this  country 
into  a  war  with  England.  In  view  of  all  circumstances,  the 
president  resolved  to  prepare  for  the  support  of  American 
rights ;  and  thinking  that  the  state  of  affairs  demanded  the 
deliberations  of  Congress,  he  convened  that  body  on  the  15th 
of  Ma}',  1797.  In  the  same  month  he  appointed,  without 
the  unanimous  consent  of  his  cabinet,  Charles  Cotesworth 
Pinckney,  Elbridge  GeiTy,  and  John  Marshall,  commissioners 
to  the  court  of  France.  These  envoys  arrived  in  Paris  in 
October,  and  were  received  in  a  most  shabby  and  discour- 
teous manner  ;  they  were  not  even  publicly  accredited,  and 
persons  were  sent  in  a  private  and  informal  manner  to  ascer- 
tain their  views,  and  to  learn  upon  what  terms  the  United 
States  W'Cre  willing  to  purchase  the  friendship  of  France. 

In  consequence  of  such  treatment,  Mr.  Pinckney  and  iNIr. 
Marshall,  in  April,  1798,  left  France ;  but  Mr.  Gerry,  upon 
invitation,  remained  to  continue  the  negotiation,  and  for 
so  doing  was  severely  censured  by  his  fellow-countrymen. 
When  the  despatches  of  the  envovs  Avere  brought  before 
Congress  and  before  the  country,  the  cry  arose,  "  ^Millions 
for  defence,  not  a  cent  for  tribute."     In  the  summer  Con- 


392  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

gress  made  provision  for  defence,  by  authorizing  the  presi- 
dent to  raise  an  army  of  twenty  thousand  men.  Commercial 
intercourse  between  the  two  countries  was  suspended  ;  for- 
mer treaties  with  France  were  declared  to  be  no  longer 
binding,  and  alien  and  sedition  laws  were  passed.  The 
whole  country  glowed  with  patriotism  and  defiance  ;  and 
Mr.  Adams  considered  this  the  proudest  period  of  his  public 
life. 

War  began  in  earnest  —  on  the  ocean.  On  the  9th  of 
Februar}^,  1799,  after  an  engagement  of  an  hour  and  a 
quarter,  the  frigate  "  Constelhition,"  of  thirty-eight  guns, 
captured  in  the  West  Indies  the  French  frigate  "  I'lnsur- 
gent,"  of  fifty-four  guns.  In  the  following  year,  same  month, 
the  Constellation  silenced  "  1' Vengeance,"  but  failed  to  cap- 
ture her.  About  the  same  time  the  frigate  "  Constitution  " 
was  built  in  Boston,  and  ordered  into  service. 

France  was  surprised  by  tlie  hostility  of  America  ;  and 
the  loud  complaints  against  Mr.  Adams,  among  the  friends 
of  the  government,  prevented  the  continuance  of  a  war,  in 
■which  the  United  States  had  much  to  lose  and  nothing  to 
gain.  So  far  as  mere  interest  was  concerned,  the  president's 
policy  M'as  right  ;  but  so  far  as  honor  and  dignity  were 
involved,  an  entirely  different  opinion  prevailed.  When  it 
was  seen  that  the  United  States  would  not  submit  to  insult, 
the  French  government  made  overtures  for  peace.  The 
president  accordingly  appointed  two  commissioners  of  peace, 
and  sent  them  to  Paris.  When  they  arrived,  the  Directory 
had  disappeared,  and  Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  First  Consul. 
They  were  respectfully  received,  and  a  treaty  was  framed, 
and  duly  ratified  by  both  parties. 

Governor  Sumner  warmly  sympathized  with  the  president 
in   this   whole  proceeding  ;    and,  consequently,  in   1798  his 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.    393 

re-election  was  strongly  opposed.  In  the  following  year, 
however,  he  was  chosen  by  a  very  large  majority.  To  the 
grief  of  his  friends,  ho  died  before  taking  tlic  oath  of  office  ; 
and  ]Moses  Gill,  the  lieutenant  governor  filled  the  chair 
during  the  rest  of  the  year. 

Caleb  Strong,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Gill,  was  governor  of 
Massachusetts  from  May  1800  to  j\Iay  1807.  lie  was  elected 
by  the  federalistic  party,  and  his  competitor  Avas  i\Ir.  Gerry. 
Meantime  the  fourth  presidential  canvass  was  approaching. 
The  opposition  to  Mr.  Adams  was  exceedingly  violent ;  his 
conduct  was  condemned  as  "a  heterogeneous  compound  of 
right  and  wrong,  of  wisdom  and  error;"  and  the  result  of 
the  canvass  was  the  election  of  Thomas  Jefferson  by  a  vote 
of  the  House.  Massachusetts  voted  for  ]\Ir.  Adams  ;  never- 
theless, the  governor  in  his  annual  address,  "  expressed 
himself  in  a  conciliatory  manner  toward  the  new  adminis- 
tration, although  the  result  had  not  corresponded  with  the 
wishes  of  many  citizens  of  the  commonwealth."  "  They  will 
reflect,"  he  observed,  "  that  in  republics,  the  opinicm  of  the 
majority  must  prevail,  and  that  obedience  to  the  laws  and 
respect  for  the  constitutional  authorities  are  essential  to  the 
character  of  a  good  citizen."  ^ 

At  the  next  presidential  election,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  re- 
chosen,  the  vote  of  Massachusetts  being  given  in  his  favor. 
Three  years  later,  in  1807,  James  Sullivan  succeeded  Mr. 
Strong  as  governor  of  the  commonwealth.  Under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  president,  party  contentions  were  becoming 
excessively  bitter.  There  was  not  only  the  common  struggle 
for  power,  from  which  even  absolute  despotisms  are  not 
exempt,  and  which  is  inseparable  from  all  elective  govern- 
ments, but  the  politics  and  contentions  in  Europe  were  being 

'  Bradford,  iii.  82. 

60 


394  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

artfully  intermingled  with  all  the  elections  which  occurred 
in  the  United  States.  The  daily  press  not  only  discussed 
qualifications  for  office,  but  descended  to  personalities  and 
calumnies,  which  might  induce  one  to  suppose  that  the 
Americans  had  been  astute  in  selecting  the  worst  men  of 
their  nation  for  public  trust. 

Not  long  after  his  second  inauguration,  both  the  president 
and  his  cabinet  were  accused  of  a  leaning  toward  France, 
and  of  a  wish  to  provoke  Great  Britain.  In  the  mean  time 
England  and  France  vied  with  each  other  in  issuing  and 
enforcing  decrees,  and  both  committed  frequent  spoliations 
upon  American  commerce.  As  a  scheme  of  retaliation,  and  to 
bring  the  belligerents  to  terms,  Congress,  on  the  recommen- 
dation of  the  president,  laid  an  embargo  prohibiting  Ameri- 
can commerce  with  France  and  England.  This  embargo 
was  laid  on  the  22d  of  December,  1807,  and  was  without 
period  or  limitation.  It  was  this  feature  of  the  bill  which 
alarmed  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  and  induced  many  of 
them  to  condemn  the  president  as  a  "  traitor."  Everywhere 
in  the  United  States  the  embargo  itself  was  exceedingly 
unpopular  ;  and  the  intelligent  portion  of  the  people  failed 
to  see  what  benefit  could  be  derived  from  their  ships  rotting 
in  the  ports,  their  seamen  out  of  employment,  the  industry 
of  the  country  prostrated,  and  the  millions  of  surplus  prop- 
erty now  worthless  for  want  of  a  market.  Notwithstanding 
this  outburst  of  popular  indignation,  the  partisans  of  the 
president  increased  even  in  New  England ;  but  when,  some 
months  later,  the  pressure  of  the  embargo  began  to  be  felt, 
the  people  again  complained  bitterly  of  the  impolicy.  In 
Congress  violent  debates  were  held  from  day  to  day  upon 
the  exciting  topic,  and  people  of  all  ranks  now  saw  that  the 
embargo  was  a  futile  measure ;  and  that  instead  of  bringing 


ADOPTION  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CONSTITUTION.    395 

the  Freiicli  and  English  to  terms,  it  was  the  subject  of  their 
ridicule,  while  it  was  heconiing  more  and  more  ruinous  to 
the  nation. 

In  the  mean  while  the  sixth  presidential  election  had  taken 
place,  and  Mr.  INIadison  had  been  chosen  to  fill  the  executive 
chair.  Three  days  before  the  close  of  Jefferson's  adminis- 
tration, on  the  27th  of  February,  1809,  the  arbitrary  act, 
which  had  been  forced  upon  the  country  without  a  moment's 
warning,  and  which  had  brought  ruin  upon  thousands,  was 
repealed.  By  the  death  of  Mr.  Sullivan  in  the  preceding 
December,  Levi  Lincoln,  the  lieutenant  governor,  became 
the  chief  magistrate  of  Massachusetts.  At  this  time  the 
executive  Council  was  composed  entirely  of  federalists,  and 
there  were  federal  majorities  in  both  branches  of  the  legisla- 
ture. In  his  speech  to  the  legislature,  at  the  January  session, 
Lieutenant  Governor  Lincoln  noticed  the  event  which  had 
made  it  his  duty  to  address  that  assembly;  and  in  its  reply, 
the  House  spoke  in  high  terms  of  the  deceased  chief  magis- 
trate, saying  that  he,  "  in  the  discharge  of  his  high  and 
important  trust,  appeared  rather  desirous  to  be  the  governor 
of  Massachusetts  than  the  leader  of  a  party,  or  the  vindic- 
tive champion  of  its  cause."  ]\Ir.  Lincoln  was  a  devoted 
partisan  of  Jefferson,  and  as  such,  sought  to  introduce  a  more 
stringent  system  of  jiolicy.  He  condemned  every  public 
remonstrance  acfainst  the  embarc^o  as  seditious  and  uncalled 
for,  and  took  an  extraordinary  course  to  suppress  them.  But, 
as  has  already  been  noticed,  the  effect  of  the  embargo,  and 
the  tyrannical  measures  adopted  to  enforce  it,  the  poverty 
and  distress  Mdiicli  were  daily  increasing,  compelled  the 
citizens  to  investigate  causes,  and  to  think  for  themselves. 

In  April,  1809,  Christopher  Gore  was  the  federal  candidate 
for  the  office  of  governor,  and  was  elected.     The  embargo 


396  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

having  been  removed,  and  the  busy  citizens  of  Massachusetts 
having  engaged  in  their  accustomed  vocations  ;  and  thinking 
more  of  these,  than  of  political  dangers  and  duties,  an 
opportunity  was  again  afforded  for  the  "  friends  of  the 
people "  to  take  a  majority  into  their  custody.  By  the 
democratic  party,  —  once  more  the  triumphant  party  in  the 
state,  —  Elbridge  Gerry  was  nominated  and  elected  governor 
of  Massachusetts.  He  held  his  office  from  May,  1810,  to 
May,  1812  ;  and  the  result  of  his  election  was  deemed  an 
indorsement  of  the  policy  of  Madison. 


THE    WAR   OF  1S12.  397 


CHAPTITR    XX. 

THE  WAR  OF   1812. 

At  the  time  when  Elbridge  Gerry  became  chief  magis- 
trate of*  Massachusetts,  intelligent  statesmen  were  demur- 
ring at  the  policy  of  the  general  government,  and  were 
confidently  predicting  a  war  with  England.  The  people^ 
of  course,  deprecated  such  an  event,  and  these  same  states- 
men believed  that,  under  the  guidance  of  a  prudent  and 
magnanimous  spirit,  the  difficulties  existing  between  the  two 
governments  might  be  amicably  adjusted. 

Governor  Gerry  was  a  democrat,  and  in  both  branches  of 
the  General  Court  the  majorities  were  democratic ;  further- 
more, both  the  executive  and  the  legislature  were  harmonious 
in  purpose.  Mr.  Gerry's  first  act  was,  in  pursuance  of  the 
Jeffersonian  system,  to  remove  from  office  many  who  had 
long  and  faithfully  served  the  commonwealth.  The  cause 
of  such  removals  was  simply  that  these  incumbents  were 
not  of  the  dominant  party.  The  County  Courts  were 
organized  anew ;  the  appointment  of  clerks  of  the  judi- 
cial courts  was  vested  in  the  governor,  instead  of  in  the 
judges  ;  and  minor  offices  were  filled  by  the  governor's  politi- 
cal friends.  In  January,  1812,  Mr.  Gerry  openly  accused  the 
federal  party  "  of  being  anti-republican  in  its  principles,  and 
opposed  to  the  measures  of  the  general  government."  "Are 
we  not  called  upon,"  said  he,  "  to  decide  whether  we  will 
commit  the  liberty  and  independence  of  ourselves  and  pos- 


398  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

terity  to  the  fidelity  and  protection  of  a  national  adminis- 
tration, —  at  the  head  of  which  is  a  Madison,  supported  by 
an  executive  department,  a  Senate,  and  a  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives abounding  with  revolutionary  and  other  merito- 
rious patriots,  —  or  to  a  British  administration,  the  disciples 
of  Bute,  who  was  the  author  of  a  plan  to  enslave  these 
states,  and  to  American  royalists  "who  co-operated  with  that 
government  to  bind  us  in  chains  while  colonists  ?  Is  it  not 
morally  and  politically  impossible  that  a  doubt  can  exist  in 
regard  to  the  choice  ?  "  ^ 

In  the  following  month  the  governor  sent  a  still  more 
extraordinary  message  to  the  legislature,  commenting  on 
the  severe  remarks  of  the  public  press  with  reference  to 
his  own  conduct  and  the  policy  of  the  national  government. 
After  the  reading  of  the  message,  a  member  of  the  sen- 
ate arose,  and  offered  a  resolution,  "  that  the  governor,  in 
denouncing  various  publications  in  the  Boston  newspapers 
as  libels,  especially  after  a  grand  jury,  upon  an  examina- 
tion of  some  of  those  publications,  had  refused  to  find 
bills  of  indictment,  manifests  an  alarming  disposition  to  usurp 
the  power  belonging  to  the  judicial  department,  tending  to 
criminate  and  injure  the  reputation  of  individuals,  without 
affording  them  an  opportunity  of  defence ;  and  that  the 
employing  of  the  law  officers  of  the  commonwealth  in  ex- 
amining files  of  newspapers  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
and  divesting  such  publications,  with  a  view  of  presenting 
them  to  the  legislature  instead  of  to  a  grand  jury,  is  a 
departure  from  his  constitutional  province,  and  an  infringe- 
ment upon  private  rights."  ^ 

In  the  midst  of  the  excitement,  a  new  gubernational  elec- 
tion took  place,  which  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Caleb  Strong 

»  Message  of  Jan.  8,  1812.  «  Boston  Centinel  for  1812. 


THE    WAR   OF  1812.  399 

by  a  very  small  majority.  It  has  been  said  that  "  it  is 
possible  that  the  conduct  of  ]\Ir.  Gerry,  in  districting  the 
state  for  the  election  of  senators,  had  some  influence  on 
the  popular  vote ;  and  it  was  alleged  that  the  division  thus 
made,  Avhich  the  federalists  christened  with  the  name  of 
'  Gerrymandering,'  was  '  new  and  arbitrary,'  and  was  '  de- 
signed to  secure  the  triumph  of  the  republican  party.'  "  ^ 
So  far  as  the  Senate  was  concerned,  it  had  this  effect ; 
but  a  majority  of  the  House  was  of  the  federal  party. 

"When,  after  the  revolutionary  strife,  John  Adams  arrived 
in  England  as  the  minister  plenipotentiary  of  the  United 
States,  he  was  graciously  received,  and  affected  almost  to 
tears,  by  the  honest  words  of  King  George  :  "  I  was  the 
last  man  in  the  kingdom,  sir,  to  consent  to  the  indepen- 
dence of  America  ;  but  now  it  is  granted,  I  shall  be  the 
last  man  in  the  world  to  sanction  a  violation  of  it."  INIr. 
Jefferson  had  faithfully  cherished  all  the  causes  of  contro- 
versy with  Great  Britain,  and  by  refusing  to  enter  into  a 
compromise,  had  made  the  breach  wider.  These  causes 
of  controversy  were,  briefly,  the  colonial  trade  ;  the  block- 
ades by  England ;  the  affair  of  the  Chesapeake ;  the  im- 
pressment of  seamen  from  American  merchant  vessels,  and 
the  Orders  of  the  King  in  Council.  In  March,  1809,  when 
Mr.  Madison  became  president,  and  in  June,  1812,  when 
v>ar  was  declared,  England  sincerely  desired  to  avoid  a 
conflict  ;  but  the  administration  was  disposed  otherwise  ;  and 
even  Lloyd,  who  had  taken  the  place  of  John  Quincy 
Adams  in  the  United  States  Senate,  declared,  as  the  voice 
of  Massachusetts,  in  favor  of  rigorous  measures.- 


'  Barry,  iii.  369. 

*  See  Lloyd's   Speech  in  Annala   of  Congress,  12   Cong.,    1st  series,   1. 
131-147. 


400  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

In  March,  1812,  Mr.  Madison  sent  a  message  to  Congress, 
in  which  he  wrote,  "  I  lay  before  Congress  copies  of  certain 
documents  which  remain  in  the  department  of  state.  They 
prove,  that  at  a  recent  period,  whilst  the  United  States,  not- 
withstanding the  wrongs  sustained  by  them,  ceased  not  to 
observe  the  laws  of  peace  and  neutrality  toward  Great  Brit- 
ain, and  in  the  midst  of  amicable  professions  and  negotiations 
on  the  part  of  the  British  government,  through  its  public  min- 
ister here,  a  secret  agent  of  that  government  was  employed, 
in  certain  states,  more  especially  at  the  seat  of  government 
in  Massachusetts^  in  fomenting  disaffection  to  the  constituted 
authorities  of  the  nation  ;  and  in  intrigues  with  the  dis- 
affected, for  the  purpose  of  bringing  about  resistance  to  the 
laws,  and  eventually,  in  concert  Avith  a  British  force,  of 
destroying  the  Union,  and  forming  the  eastern  part  thereof 
into  a  political  connection  with  Great  Britain."  In  the 
following  month,  at  the  president's  suggestion,  an  embargo 
for  sixty  days,  prohibiting  "  the  sailing  of  any  vessel  for 
any  foreign  port,  except  foreign  vessels  with  such  cargoes 
as  they  had  on  board  when  notified  of  the  act,"  was  passed 
by  Congress.  Josiah  Quincy  strenuously  opposed  the  act, 
on  the  ground  that  he  did  not  believe  "  the  proposed  em- 
bargo was  a  preparation  for  war,  but  a  refuge  from  the 
question  of  declaring  war."  ^  Other  acts  which  followed 
were  more  decisive,  and  showed  i:)lainly  that  the  admin- 
istration was  in  earnest.  On  the  18tli  of  June,  Congress 
declared  war  against  Great  Britain,  and  thus,  unhappily, 
closed  the  door  to  reconciliation.  The  friends  of  peace  re- 
sisted the  declaration  of  war  in  Congress  with  reason,  good 
sense,  faithful  love  of  country,  and  serious  eloquence  ;  but 
such  weapons  were  powerless  against  the  infatuation  of  party. 

»  Niles's  Kegister,  ii.  107-121.     Hildreth,  U.  S.,  vi.  293. 


THE    WAR   OF  IS  12.  401 

In  Boston,  which  had  "  long  been  the  seat  of  discontent, 
comphiint,  and  turbulence,"  the  opposition  was  general. 
♦'  Whatever  difficulty  or  distress  arose  from  the  extraor- 
dinary circumstances  of  the  times, — and  great  difficulty  and 
distress  were  inevitable,  —  was  aggravated  and  magnified  to 
the  highest  degree  for  the  purpose  of  inflaming  the  public 
passions.  From  the  moment  when  the  war  was  declared, 
they  clamored  for  peace,  and  reprobated  the  war  as  wicked, 
unjust,  and  unnecessary.  They  made  every  possible  effort 
to  raise  obstructions  and  difficulties  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
war,  and  j^et  reprobated  the  administration  for  their  imbe- 
cility in  carr^'ing  it  on.  They  reduced  the  government  to 
bankruptcy,  and  reproached  it  for  its  necessities  and  embar- 
rassments. In  a  word,  all  their  movements  had  but  one 
object  —  to  enfeeble  and  distract  the  government."^ 

The  governor  communicated  the  intelligence  of  the  dec- 
laration of  war  to  the  General  Court  on  the  23d  of  June. 
Three  da3's  later  the  House  declared  against  the  event, 
and  expressed  their  opinion  of  its  inexpediency ;  but  the 
Senate,  taking  an  entirely  opposite  view,  declared  the  policy 
both  just  and  necessary.  Three  fourths  of  the  people  sanc- 
tioned the  opinion  of  the  House.  Shortly  afterwards,  the 
Senate  published  an  address  approving  of  the  war,  which, 
by  the  enemies  of  England,  was  applauded  as  a  document 
of  great  power.  "The  Senate"  —  such  are  the  words  of 
the  address  —  "  affect  not  to  disguise  from  their  constituents 
that  the  times  are  times  of  peril.  The  enemies  of  republics 
are  on  the  alert.  The  present  is  deemed  the  favorable  time 
for  the  dismemberment  of  the  Union  —  that  favorite  project 
of  the  British  government,  which  has  been  attempted  by 
their   authorized   agent,    and   we    have   alarming   proofs,   is 

'  Carey's  Olive  Branch,  253. 

51 


402  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

countenanced  and  cherished  by  citizens  of  this  government. 
Yes,  we  say  with  assurance,  that  a  deep  and  deadly  design 
is  formed  against  our  happy  Union.  We  say  it  from  con- 
viction, forced  on  our  minds,  from  declarations  from  re- 
sponsible sources,  from  intrigues  that  have  existed  between 
the  enemies  of  republics  and  an  authorized  British  spy, 
and  from  a  settled  determination  to  oppose  the  government 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  war  now  forced  upon  us."  ^ 

The  address  of  the  House  was  of  a  different  tone.  "  It 
must  be  evident  to  you  that  a  president  who  has  made  this 
war  is  not  qualified  to  make  peace  ;  and  that  the  men  who 
have  concurred  in  this  act  of  desperation  are  pledged  to 
persevere  in  this  course,  regardless  of  all  consequences.  Dis- 
play, then,  the  majesty  of  the  people  in  the  exercise  of  your 
rights,  and,  sacrificing  all  party  feelings  at  the  altar  of  your 
country's  good,  resolve  to  displace  those  who  have  abused 
their  power  and  betrayed  their  trust.  Organize  a  peace 
party  throughout  your  country,  and  let  all  other  party 
distinctions  vanish.  Keep  a  steadfast  eye  upon  the  presi- 
dential election,  and  remember  that  if  he  whose  fatal  policy 
has  plunged  you  into  this  unexampled  calamity  is  again 
raised  to  the  chair,  and  if  the  abettors  of  war  are  to  be 
intrusted  with  conducting  it,  you  will  have  nothing  to  ex- 
pect, for  years  to  come,  but  '  the  sword  of  the  warrior, 
and  garments  rolled  in  blood ; '  and  that  if  you  should,  by 
your  aid,  accelerate  the  fall  of  Great  Britain,  you  would 
merely  deliver  over  your  exhausted  country  and  enslaved 
posterity  to  the  dominion  of  a  tyrant,  whose  want  of  power 
alone  restrains  him  from  the  exercise  of  unlimited  despo- 
tism on  the  ocean,  and  the  same  tyranny  in  the  New  World 

*  Address  of  the  Senate,  27. 


THE    WAR   OF  IS  12.  403 

which  he  has  imposed  upon  the  Old."  ^  The  address  of  the 
federal  members  of  Congress  was  equally  temperate. 

Of  the  military  and  naval  character  of  the  war,  it  is 
not  the  duty  of  the  present  historian  to  write.  All  this 
went  on  like  other  wars,  with  the  exception  that  it  soon 
became  defensive  on  the  part  of  the  United  States.  The 
requisition  upon  Massachusetts  for  a  detachment  of  militia 
led  to  a  correspondence  between  Governor  Strong  and  Gen- 
eral Dearborn,  the  commander  of  the  national  troops  then 
stationed  in  the  state.  The  cause  of  the  correspondence 
was  the  refusal  of  the  governor  to  call  out  the  militia.  Gen- 
eral Dearborn  renewed  his  demand,  and  shortly  afterwards 
the  secretary  of  war  wrote  a  letter  to  the  governor,  urging 
him  to  comply.  The  chief  magistrate,  in  a  message  to 
the  legislature,  defended  his  course,  on  the  ground  that 
he  "  presumed,  if  this  state  was  in  danger,  the  regular 
troops  would  not  have  been  ordered  to  the  north-west  fron- 
tiers ;  and  if  they  were  so  ordered,  the  militia  were  not 
liable  to  be  called  into  service,  and  stationed  in  the  forts 
of  the  United  States  to  do  garrison  duty,  when  no  danger 
of  invasion  appeared.  I  have  been  fully  disposed  to  comply 
with  the  requirements  of  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  laws  made  in  pursuance  thereof,  and  sin- 
cerely regret  that  a  request  should  have  been  made  by 
an  officer  of  the  national  government,  with  whicli  I  could 
not  constitutionally  comply.  But  it  appeared  to  me  that 
this  requisition  was  of  that  character ;  and  I  was  under 
the  same  obligation  to  maintain  the  rights  of  the  state 
as  to  support  the  constitution  of  the  United  States."  ^ 

A  few  days   after  the  declaration  of  war,  the  president, 

'  Address  of  the  House,  Niles's  Reg.,  ii.  417. 

*  Mass.  Resolves,  for  1812.     Bradford,  iii.  139-152. 


404  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

through  Secretary  of  State  Monroe,  made  proposals  for  an 
armistice,  preliminary  to  a  definitive  settlement  of  all  dif- 
ferences. But  this  action  amounted  to  nothing.  In  the 
existing  state  of  affairs,  bereft  as  was  the  administration 
of  the  confidence  of  the  country,  and  absolutely  bankrupt 
in  resources,  a  measure  was  devised  to  command  men  for 
naval  and  land  service.  Mr.  Madison  directed  his  secretary 
of  state  to  propose  to  Congress  a  system  of  impressment, 
more  odious  than  was  ever  known  in  England,  and  a  con- 
scription more  shocking  than  had  ever  been  experienced 
in  France.  Congress  assembled  on  the  19th  of  September, 
1814,  and  on  the  17th  of  the  following  month  Mr.  Monroe 
presented  his  conscription  plan.  Eighty  thousand  men  were, 
by  a  law  proposed  by  Mr.  Giles  of  Virginia,  to  be  submitted 
to  the  conscription,  probably  as  the  first  call.  The  law 
passed  the  House  ;  the  term  of  service  was  limited  to  one 
year,  and  it  provided  that  the  president  might  call  directly 
on  the  militia  officers  for  the  men,  in  case  the  governors 
of  states  refused,  on  request  of  the  president,  to  detach 
and  surrender  the  required  number.  It  is  highly  probable 
that,  if  it  had  been  attempted  to  enforce  the  system  of  im- 
pressment and  military  conscription  by  law,  the  government 
would  have  come  to  an  end.  The  citizens  of  the  United 
States  could  not,  and  would  not,  have  submitted  themselves 
to  its  operation.  •  ' 

Though  it  had  signally  failed  in  this  scheme,  the  admin- 
istration was  still  resolved  to  continue  the  war.  In  the 
summer  of  1814,  the  enemy  had  taken  posession  of  so  much 
of  the  State  of  Maine  as  extends  from  the  British  Prov- 
inces to  the  Penobscot,  and  held  absolute  command  in  all 
the  neighboring  waters.  It  was  apprehended  that  attacks 
would  be   made   upon   the   seaport   towns,  and  the   whole 


THE    WAR    OF  IS  12.  405 

of  Ne^y  England  was  in  terror.  Governor  Strong  called 
tlie  legislature  together,  and  laid  before  them  the  state 
of  the  country.  The  general  sentiment  was  that  the  New 
England  States  ought  to  combine,  utterly  abandoned  as  they 
were  by  the  national  government,  to  save  themselves  by 
their  own  force  and  resources  from  becoming  a  conquered 
country.  The  legislature  was  resolved  that  a  common  cause 
should  be  made  among  all  the  New  England  maritime  states, 
and  that,  to  effect  this  object,  delegates  should  be  invited 
to  assemble  at  Plartford  on  the  15th  of  December  following, 
and  that  reports  should  be  made  to  the  legislatures  of  their 
respective  states.^ 

At  the  appointed  time,  the  convention  met  at  Hartford, 
and  comprised  twenty-six  federal  delegates,  of  whom  twelve 
were  from  IMassachusetts,  seven  from  Connecticut,  four  from 
Rhode  Island,  two  from  New  Hampshire,  and  one  from 
Vermont.  The  convention  was  in  session  from  the  15th 
of  December,  1814,  to  the  5th  of  January  following,  and 
all  of  its  proceedings  were  conducted  with  closed  doors. 
In  accordance  with  the  sentiments  expressed  in  the  call 
for  the  convention,  the  members  were  enjoined  not  to  pro- 
pose measures  "repugnant  to  their  obligations  as  members 
of  the  Union ; "  and  after  deliberating  for  twenty  days, 
the  convention  published  an  address  to  the  people.  After 
recapitulating  the  evils  which  the  war  had  brought  upon  the 
people,  this  address  expresses  the  sentiments  of  the  mem- 
bers upon  other  wrongs  ;  such  as  the  enlistment  of  minors 
and  apprentices,  the  national  government  assuming  to  com- 
mand the  state  militia,  and  especially  the  proposed  sys- 
tem of  conscription  for  both  army  and  navy.  Strange 
propositions   for   a  government   professedly  waging   war   to 

'  Resolves  of  the  Gen.  Court,  for  Oct  1814.     Bradford,  iii.  211-212. 


406  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

protect  its  seamen  from  impressment !  "  The  conscription 
of  the  father,  with  the  seduction  of  the  son,  renders  complete 
the  power  of  the  national  executive  over  the  male  popu- 
lation of  the  country,  thus  destroying  the  most  important 
relations  of  society."  "  A  free  constitution,  administered 
by  great  and  incomparable  statesmen,  realized  the  fondest 
hopes  of  liberty  and  independence,  under  Washington  and 
his  measures.  The  arts  flourished,  the  comforts  of  life  were 
universally  diffused,  nothing  remained  but  to  reap  the  ad- 
vantages and  cherish  the  resources  flowing  from  this  policy." 
"  Our  object  is  to  strengthen  and  perpetuate  the  union 
of  these  states,  by  removing  the  causes  of  jealousies." 

In  furtherance  of  such  views,  the  address  proposed 
amendments  to  the  constitution,  —  among  others,  to  equal- 
ize the  representation  in  the  lower  House  of  Congress,  by 
basing  it  on  free  population  ;  against  embargoes  and  non- 
intercourse  laws  ;  and  to  make  the  president  ineligible  for  a 
second  term.  These  amendments  were  never  adopted  by 
the  states. 

The  Hartford  convention  was  for  many  years  a  rich  and 
inexhaustible  fund  of  abuse  and  crimination,  notwithstand- 
ing that  its  twenty-six  members  were  as  wise,  as  loyal,  and 
as  patriotic  as  the  average  of  the  legislators  and  politicians 
of  that  day  or  since.  Those  persons  who  knew  the  least 
of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  convention,  and  nothing 
of  the  motives  of  those  who  were  its  members,  were  the 
most  busy  and  the  most  malignant  calumniators.  By  these 
persons  the  secrecy  of  the  convention  was  construed  to  mean 
most  treasonable  designs  ;  but  to  the  opponents  of  the  ad- 
ministration, who  knew  the  men  there  assembled,  and  knew 
also  that  they  could  listen  to  no  counsels,  nor  propose  nor 
adopt  any  measure  inconsistent  with  duty,  self-respect,  and 


THE    WAR   OF  1812.  407 

sober  wisdom,  the  secrecy  was  in  no  wise  alarming,  but  on 
the  contrary,  satisfying  and  consolatory. 

After  receiving  and  adopting  the  report  of  the  convention, 
the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  sent  Harrison  Gray  Otis, 
Thomas  H.  Perkins,  and  William  Sullivan  as  commissioners 
to  AVashiugton,  to  request  the  consent  of  the  general  Con- 
gress to  the  measures  recommended  by  the  convention.  The 
commissioners  arrived  in  Washington  about  the  middle  of 
February,  1815,  "  one  day  after  the  news  of  peace  had 
reached  that  city."  ^ 

Universal  and  unalloyed  joy  followed  the  tidings  that 
a  peace  had  been  negotiated  with  Great  Britain.  In  Boston, 
especially,  the  news  "  gave  great  joy  to  every  patriot."  A 
procession  was  formed,  a  banquet  was  given  in  Faneuil  Hall, 
and  in  the  evening  the  town  was  illuminated.  The  victory 
at  New  Orleans,  on  the  8th  of  the  month  preceding,  was  the 
crowning  event  of  the  war,  and  was  everywhere  applauded. 

The  conflict  being  ended,  the  citizens  of  the  United  States 
returned  to  their  i)eacefnl  avocations.  In  jNIassachusetts, 
every  effort  was  made  to  increase  the  industrial  resources 
of  the  state.  Before  the  year  closed,  thirty-four  new  manu- 
facturing companies  were  incorporated  for  the  manufacture 
of  woollen  and  cotton  cloths,  and  several  large  mills  were 
erected.  "As  a  consequence  of  these  changes,  and  of  the 
development  of  the  mechanical  and  agricultural  resources 
of  the  state,  railroads  radiate  in  everj^  dii'cction  ;  the  com- 
merce of  the  state  encircles  the  globe ;  towns  have  be- 
come cities,  and  villages  towns  ;  our  people  arc  eminently 
an  industrial  people  ;  with  the  increase  of  wealth  and  of 
the  comforts  of  life,  the  arts  and  the  sciences  have  been 
successfully  cultivated  ;    the  press,  the  great  engine  of  civ- 

»  Otis's  Letters,  38. 


408  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ilization,  is  actively  at  work  for  the  enlightenment  of  the 
public ;  our  manners  and  customs  have  been  ameliorated 
and  improved:  the  interests  of  religion  and  morality  are 
fostered ;  and  the  progress  of  society,  and  its  intellectual 
advancement,  have  kept  pace  with  its  secondary  and  tempo- 
ral advancement."  ^ 

The  administration  of  Governor  Strong  closed  in  1816. 
His  successor  was  John  Brooks,  a  revolutionary  patriot, 
who  had  been  a  member  of  the  convention  for  adopting 
the  federal  constitution,  a  representative  and  senator  in  the 
state  legislature,  and  a  member  of  the  Council  under  Gov- 
ernor Strong.  Without  high  pretensions  to  intellectual  dis- 
tinction, he  was  a  man  of  practical  wisdom,  sound  judgment, 
and  of  a  pure  and  elevated  mind.  It  may  be  said,  also,  that 
no  man  was  more  than  he  esteemed  and  respected.  He 
was  a  federalist,  but  no  one  was  more  attached  to  republi- 
can principles,  and  no  one  more  readily  subscribed  to  the 
doctrine  that  civil  and  political  power  emanate  from  the 
people.  Remarkably  conciliating  and  popular,  he  secured  the 
confidence  of  both  parties,  and  was  for  seven  years  succes- 
sively chosen  chief  magistrate  of  the  state. 

The  two  principal  events  of  his  long  administration  were 
the  erection  of  the  District  of  Maine  into  a  separate  state, 
and  the  revision  of  the  state  constitution.  Petitions  for 
the  separation  of  the  District  of  Maine  were  first  preferred 
to  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  in  1816,  and  a  con- 
vention was  appointed  to  be  holden  at  Brunswick.  This 
convention  voted  in  favor  of  the  step,  but  the  separation 
was  not  effected  until  1820,  at  which  time  Maine  was 
erected  into  a  distinct  and  independent  commonwealth,  and 
was  admitted  into  the  American  Union. 

'  Barry,  iii.  421. 


THE    WAR   OF  1812.  409 

In  accordance  with  the  votes  of  the  people,  a  convention 
of  nearly  five  hundred  men  assembled  in  Boston  in  No- 
vember, 1820,  for  the  jun-pose  of  revising  the  constitution 
of  the  state.  The  venerable  John  Adams,  then  in  his  eighty- 
fifth  year,  was  called  to  preside  ;  but,  owing  to  the  infirmi- 
ties of  age,  Chief  Justice  Isaac  Parker  was  chosen  in  his 
place.  The  sessions  of  the  convention  continued  for  about 
seven  weeks,  during  which  time  amendments,  embodied  in 
fourteen  articles,  were  proposed,  and  afterwards  submitted 
to  the  people.  Only  nine  of  these  amendments  were  ul- 
timately approved.  These  were  as  follows :  "  That  the 
governor  should  have  five  days,  while  the  General  Court  was 
in  session,  to  consider  and  object  to  any  bill  presented  to 
him  for  signature  ;  that  the  legislature  should  have  power 
to  constitute  municipal  or  city  governments  in  an}-  town 
containing  at  least  twelve  thousand  inhabitants,  reserving 
the  power  to  annul  any  by-laws  made  by  such  govern- 
ments ;  that  all  male  persons  of  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  who  had  resided  in  the  state  for  one  year,  and  for 
six  months  within  the  town  in  which  they  claimed  a  right 
to  vote,  and  who  had  paid  a  tax  assessed  upon  them  within 
two  years,  should  have  and  enjoy  the  right  of  suffrage  ; 
that,  in  the  election  of  military  officers,  those  under  twent}"-- 
one  years  of  age,  who  were  regular  members  of  a  company, 
should  have  a  right  to  vote ;  that  notaries  public  should  be 
appointed  by  the  governor,  with  the  consent  of  the  Coun- 
cil, in  the  same  manner  and  for  the  same  time  as  justices 
of  the  peace,  which  was  for  the  term  of  seven  years ;  that 
no  county  attorney,  clerk  of  a  court,  sheriff,  register  of 
probate,  or  register  of  deeds,  should,  at  the  same  time, 
be  a  member  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  and 
that  no  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  should  hold 
52 


410  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

any  other  office  under  the  commonwealth  except  that  of 
justice  of  the  peace,  or  an  office  in  the  militia ;  and  that 
future  amendments  should  receive  the  consent  of  the  major- 
ity of  the  Senate  and  two  thirds  of  the  House,  be  pub- 
lished and  approved  by  the  like  numbers  in  the  next  Gen- 
eral Court,  then  submitted  to  the  people,  and,  if  approved 
by  a  majority  of  their  votes,  become  a  part  of  the  constitu- 
tion. In  addition  to  these  propositions,  that  part  of  the  con- 
stitution which  required  all  the  legislators,  magistrates,  and 
civil  officers  to  declare  their  belief  in  the  Christian  religion 
was  annulled,  and  the  oath  of  allegiance  was  likewise 
abridged."  ^ 

This  event  —  which,  it  ought  to  be  said,  in  no  wise  ma- 
terially affected  the  integrity  of  the  instrument  which  the 
wisdom  of  the  fathers  had  framed  —  marks  the  two  hun- 
dredth 3'ear  of  the  history  of  IMassachusetts.  Whether  the 
period  be  viewed  as  a  whole,  or  in  part,  it  may  safely  be 
affirmed  that  the  history  of  no  other  state  in  the  Amer- 
ican Union  is  more  striking,  or  more  suggestive  of  great 
and  important  lessons. 

■  Barry,  iii.  424. 


THE  ERA    OF  POLITICS.  411 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
THE    ERA    OF    POLITICS. 

After  tlie  close  of  the  war  of  1812  the  Auti-Federalist, 
or  Democratic  party,  as  it  was  afterwards  called,  gradually 
gained  strength.  As  has  previously  been  seen,  the  course 
of  the  dominant,  or  Federalist  party,  during  the  contest  with 
England,  had  given  occasion  for  a  considerable  defection 
from  its  support,  especially  among  the  young  men  of  the 
country.  "When,  however,  the  original  grounds  of  disaffec- 
tion and  dispute  were  removed,  the  feeling  thereby  engen- 
dered died  away,  and  the  second  term  of  ]Mr.  Monroe's 
administration  was  everywhere  spoken  of  as  "  the  era  of 
good  feeling." 

During  the  winter  of  1820  the  public  mind  was  greatly 
agitated  by  the  discussion  of  the  question  whether  or  not 
iNIissouri  should  be  admitted  into  the  Union  with  a  constitu- 
tion making  slaver}-  one  of  its  features.  While  some  affirmed 
that  slavery  is  inhuman,  that  the  relation  between  master 
and  slave  is  demoralizing  to  both,  and  that  the  founders  of 
the  Republic  had  opposed  slavery,  as  a  cruel  institution, 
others  declared  that  if  the  founders  of  the  republic  were 
opposed  to  slavery  in  theory,  they  failed  to  practise  this 
theory ;  that  the  constitution  recognized  and  defended  sla- 
very ;  and  that  the  labor  in  the  south  could  not  be  performed 
without  tlie  help  of  slaves.  With  regard  to  the  question, 
both  federahsts   and   democrats  were   of  one   mind  in  the 


412  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

north.  Mass  meetings  were  held  all  over  New  England, 
and  Boston  was  especially  foremost  in  speaking  her  sense 
of  what  the  crisis  demanded.  After  a  long  dispute  the 
question  was  settled  by  a  compromise.  Congress  agreed 
that  Missouri  should  come  into  the  Union  as  a  slave  state ; 
but  that  slavery  should  be  elsewhere  forbidden  in  new 
•states  north  of  36°  30'  north  latitude,  —  this  being  the 
southern  border  line  of  Missouri.  Such  was  the  famous 
"  Missouri  Compromise,"  which,  like  compromises  of  princi- 
ple generally,  only  postponed  the  day  of  evil. 

Whilst  the  good  feeling  prevailed  in  respect  to  the  national 
elections,  party  lines  in  Massachusetts  still  remained  dis- 
tinctly drawn.  Governor  Brooks  labored  assiduously  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  all  of  his  addresses  to 
the  legislature  evinced  large  and  liberal  views  of  the  policy 
of  the  state,  united  v/ith  a  spirit  of  moderation  and  impar- 
tiality. It  was  impossible  to  bring  less  of  the  partisan  to 
the  performance  of  official  duty.  Governor  Brooks  remained 
in  office  until  1823,  and  the  entire  period  of  his  administra- 
tion was  marked  by  a  high  degree  of  public  progress  and 
prosperity.  The  census  of  1820  showed  a  population  in 
Massachusetts  of  six  hundred  and  twenty-two  thousand  two 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  souls,  residing  in  fifty-seven  towns. 
The  population  of  Boston  at  this  time  was  upward  of  forty- 
three  thousand.  In  the  autumn  of  1822,  the  "  Massachusetts 
Society  to  aid  in  the  Suppression  of  the  Slave  Trade,"  was 
organized,  and  provided  with  a  constitution.  The  object 
of  the  association  was  to  help  on  the  work  of  the  American 
Colonization  Society,  of  which,  indeed,  it  was  a  branch. 

The  growth  of  population  in  the  state  demanded  some 
change  in  the  old  almshouse  system  which  had  come  down 
from   colonial  times.      After   the   opening    of    the   General 


£. 


j^ 


C^^c^^^S^'     >^^^>^!^^L^ 


THE  ERA    OF  POLITICS.  413 

Court,  in  June,  1820,  Mr.  Josiah  Quincy  moved  for  an 
inquiry  into  the  subject  of  pauperism,  and  was  made  chair- 
man of  a  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose.  In  the 
following  January  the  committee  submitted  a  report  which 
condensed  the  experience  of  England  and  Massachusetts  as 
to  the  various  methods  of  dealing  with  the  subject.  This 
report  was  widely  circulated,  and  thus  gave  rise  to  the 
improved  system  of  treating  the  dependent  poor.  A  little 
later,  measures  were  instituted  for  the  erection  of  a  House 
of  Industry  for  the  town  of  Boston  ;  and  in  March,  1822, 
Boston  ceased  to  be  a  town,  and  became  a  civic  corporation, 
—  ]Mr.  John  Phillips  being  chosen  as  the  first  mayor. 

At  this  period  Daniel  Webster,  born  on  the  18th  of  Jan- 
uary', 1782,  at  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  was  a  member  of  the  Boston 
bar.  He  had  been  hitherto  known  as  a  leading  member  of 
Congress,  and  as  a  very  eminent  lawyer.  At  the  age  of 
thirty-eight  he  had  achieved  a  reputation  second  to  that 
of  no  other  man  in  America,  and  was  naturally  regarded  as 
one  of  the  great  leaders  of  his  party.  In  the  autumn  of 
1822  he  was  urged  by  delegates  from  all  the  wards  to 
become  the  representative  of  Boston  in  Congress.  His 
circumstances  were  not  independent ;  and  having  once  served 
with  distinction  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  vol- 
untarily retired  from  it,  he  did  not  wish  to  return  to  that 
body.  Nevertheless  he  was  unwilling  to  reject  the  honor 
which  was  proposed,  and  therefore  accepted  the  nomination, 
and  was  elected  by  a  very  large  majority  of  votes.  He 
returned  to  Congress  in  December,  1823.  The  federal 
party,  to  which  he  had  previously  belonged,  was  no  longer 
an  existing  organization ;  neither  could  there  be  said  to  be 
any  well-defined  republican  party  remaining.  Not  yet, 
however,  had  the  old  names  ceased  to  be  used. 


414  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Governor  Brooks  was  succeeded,  in  1823,  by  William 
Eustis,  who  had  preyiously  served  as  Secretary  of  "War  of 
the  United  States,  as  ^linister  to  Holland,  besides  having 
been  a  prominent  member  of  Congress.  Governor  Eustis 
was  chosen  as  chief  magistrate  by  the  republican  party,  and 
every  branch  of  the  state  government  was  likewise  repubh- 
can.  His  administration  was  marked  by  but  few  events  of 
importance,  and  his  whole  course  was  one  of  peace  and 
prosperity.  At  the  presidential  election  in  1824,  Levi  Lin- 
coln, the  lieutenant  governor,  was  one  of  the  electors  on 
the  part  of  Massachusetts,  and  cast  a  vote  for  John  Quincy 
Adams.  Mr.  Webster,  who  in  the  same  autumn  was  again 
elected  to  Congress,  had  no  strong  personal  preferences  for 
Mr.  Adams,  and  was  not  likely  to  favor  his  election.  Mr. 
Adams,  however,  received  the  electoral  votes  of  all  the 
New  England  states,  and  Mr.  Webster  felt  bound  to  give 
effect  to  this  expression  of  the  popular  voice  in  this  region. 
At  the  first  ballot,  in  February,  Mr.  Adams  was  elected,  and 
on  the  4th  of  March,  1825,  he  took  his  seat. 

In  1824,  Mr.  Lathrop  was  nominated  as  a  candidate  for 
governor,  against  Governor  Eustis,  receiving  thirty-four 
thousand  votes  to  thirty  eight  thousand  for  the  latter.  Gov- 
ernor Eustis  died  in  February,  1825.  Mr.  Lathrop  declined 
to  be  a  candidate  again,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  declined  being  a 
candidate  upon  a  democratic  nomination.  Whereupon  the 
Federal  Convention  voted  that  it  was  inexpedient  to  make 
a  party  nomination,  and  upon  a  ballot  for  a  candidate  for 
the  ofiQce  of  governor  unanimously  proposed  Mr.  Lincoln. 
At  the  election,  the  latter  received  thirty-five  thousand  out 
of  thirty-seven  thousand  votes,  and  entered  upon  the  office 
on  the  last  Wednesday  in  May,  1825. 

Mr.  Lincoln  proved  himself  a  magistrate  admirably  suited 


THE  ERA    OF  POUTICS.  415 

to  meet  the  wants  of  the  eommonweallh.  While  fully 
understanding  these  wants,  he  exerted  his  utmost  energies 
to  take  care  of,  and  advance  the  social,  political,  and  eco- 
nomical interests  of  the  state.  In  his  inaugural  message  he 
alludes  to  several  of  these  interests.  At  this  period  the 
construction  of  a  canal  from  Boston  to  the  Connecticut  River 
was  a  favorite  scheme  for  internal  communication.  He 
refers  to  this,  "  with  favor,  and  suggests  that  he  has  been 
assured  that  another  mode,  by  railways,  had  been  approved 
of  in  England.  But  *  how  far  they  would  be  affected  by  our 
severe  frosts  cannot  be  conjectured  yet,'  and  whether  they 
are  better  than  canals  remained  to  be  determined.  He 
speaks  with  approbation  of  the  encouragement  recently  given 
to  agriculture  by  the  incorporation  of  societies,  and  calls 
upon  the  legislature  to  relieve  the  manufacturing  interests 
by  a  change  of  the  law  which  held  stockholders  in  corpora- 
tions liable  personally  for  the  debts  of  their  company  to  an 
unlimited  extent.  He  accompanies  these  statements  with 
the  suggestive  fact,  that  commerce  was  falling  off,  and 
reminds  the  legislature  of  the  necessity  of  prompt  measures 
in  favor  of  a  revival  of  the  trade  and  business  of  the  state."  ^ 
Several  railroads  were  incorporated  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Governor  Lincoln,  one  of  them  being  from  Boston 
to  the  '•  Ciry  of  Lowell,"  in  1S29  ;  though  the  name  of  that 
city  had  as  yet  no  place  upon  the  map  of  Massachusetts. 
But  facilities  for  trade  and  intercourse  were  not  the  only 
objects  of  the  care  and  encouragement  of  Governor  Lincoln. 
Home  industry  received  a  large  share  of  his  attention.  The 
cause  of  American  industry,  especially,  received  his  counte- 
nance, and  to-day  the  entire  commonwealth  is  reaping  the 
fruits  of  his  protecting  policy.      During  his  administration 

•  Washburn,  Memoir,  16. 


416  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

a  decided  change  for  the  better  was  introduced  into  the 
prevailing  system  of  prison  discipline.  For  many  years,  to 
be  sure,  the  barbarous  custom  of  "  whipping,  cropping,  and 
shutting  up  in  dungeons  and  jails,  in  idleness,  those  who  had 
been  convicted  of  crimes,"  had  been  discontinued,  a  state 
prison  had  been  erected  at  Charlestown,  and  a  certain  amount 
of  labor  was  required  of  its  inmates.  Governor  Lincoln,  dur- 
ing one  of  his  visits  to  the  state  prison,  found  the  inmates 
"  lodged  in  large  rooms,  containing,  in  some  cases,  sixteen 
persons,  where  they  were  shut  up  together,  thus  subjecting 
the  yet  unhardened  convict  to  the  certain  process  of  hopeless 
corruption  and  remediless  ruin.  They  were  literally  festering 
in  each  other's  defilement,  under  the  pretence  of  correction 
and  reform."  "  Better,"  says  the  governor,  in  his  annual 
messasre  in  1826,  "  even  that  the  laws  should  be  written  in 
blood,  than  thus  be  executed  in  sin."  He  recommended  the 
plan  adopted  at  the  Auburn  penitentiary,  and  thus  gave 
impulse  to  an  early  reform. 

It  was  daring  this  administration  that  the  condition  of  the 
insane  in  the  commonwealth  was  looked  into.  In  1827  the 
idea  of  curing  these  unfortunates  by  medical  care  and  treat- 
ment was  first  entertained  by  the  legislature,  and  two  years 
later  an  act  was  passed  for  the  establishment  of  a  State 
Lunatic  Hospital.  In  1832  the  building  was  completed,  and 
the  governor  issued  his  proclamation,  opening  it  for  public 
use.  Popular  education  was  another  subject  which  claimed 
the  governor's  attention.  In  his  message  of  the  7th  of 
January,  1826,  he  alluded  to  the  necessity  of  an  institution 
to  qualify  teachers,  and  commended  his  suggestion  to  "  the 
fostering  patronage  of  the  legislature."  He  revived  the 
importance  of  the  subject  in  the  following  year;  and  in 
February,    1828,    the  committee  of    the  legislature  on  edu- 


THE  ERA    OF  POLITICS.  417 

cation  reported  a  bill  providing  for  the  establishment  of  a 
fund,  to  be  among  other  things,  "appropriated  to  the  endow- 
ment of  an  instituti(in  for  the  instruction  of  school  teachers 
in  each  county  of  the  commonwealth."  For  some  reason 
or  other  this  measure  was  not  put  into  execution,  although 
it  was  never  lost  sight  of  until  it  resulted  in  a  normal  scliool, 
the  privileges  of  which  are  now  enjoyed  by  the  whole  com- 
monwealth. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1825,  —  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
the  battle, — was  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
Monument.  The  day  was  very  propitious  ;  and  the  occasion 
and  the  presence  of  General  Lafayette — who  was  at  this  time 
on  a  visit  to  the  United  States  —  brought  together  immense 
crowds  of  people  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  A  long 
procession  marched  from  the  State  House,  in  Boston,  to 
Bunker  Hill,  where  more  than  twenty  thousand  people  were 
assembled.  Daniel  Webster  was  the  orator  of  the  occasion, 
and  as  he  spoke,  his  voice  was  very  clear  and  full,  and  his 
manner  very  commanding.  Under  the  great  awning  on  the 
neighboring  hill  the  dinner  was  served,  and  in  the  evening 
there  was  a  grand  reception  at  Mr.  Webster's  house.^ 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1826,  the  jubilee  of  American  Inde- 
pendence was  celebrated  throughout  the  United  States.  In 
Boston,  Josiah  Quincy  delivered  the  oration  in  the  presence 
of  the  city  authorities.  He  thus  spoke  of  Mr.  John  Adams : 
"  Especially  shall  he  not  be  forgotten,  now  or  ever, —  that 
ancient  citizen  of  Boston,  that  patriarch  of  American  inde- 
pendence, of  all  New  England's  worthies  on  this  day  the 
sole  survivor.  He,  indeed,  oppressed  by  j^ears,  sinking  under 
the  burdens  of  decaying  nature,  hears  not  our  public  song, 
or  voice  of  praise,  or  ascending  prayer.     But  the  sounds  of 

'  Ticknor's  Reminiscences. 

63 


418  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

a  nation's  joy,  rushing  from  our  cities,  ringing  from  our 
valleys,  echoing  from  our  hills,  shall  break  the  silence  of 
his  aged  ear  ;  the  rising  blessings  of  grateful  millions  shall 
visit  with  a  glad  light  liis  fading  vision,  and  flush  the  last 
shades  of  his  evening  sky  with  the  reflected  splendors  of 
his  meridian  brightness." 

Whilst  these  words  were  being  spoken  the  venerable  ex- 
President  of  the  United  States  was  still  alive ;  but  before  the 
rejoicings  of  the  day  were  over,  the  news  came  that  he  was 
lying  dead  at  Quincy.  On  the  same  day  died  also  Thomas 
Jefferson  at  Monticello.  This  unparalleled  coincidence  filled 
the  land  with  a  solemn  amazement.  Commemorative  services 
were  everywhere  held ;  but  none  were  more  striking  than  the 
services  held  in  Faneuil  Hall,  on  the  2d  of  August,  when 
Mr.  Webster,  in  the  presence  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  of  an  audience  in  numbers 
and  character  worthy  of  the  extraordinary  occasion,  pro- 
nounced his  famous  eulogy  in  commemoration  of  Adams  and 
Jefferson. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  Mr.  Webster  was  re-elected 
to  Congress  for  the  third  time,  as  the  representative  of  the 
Boston  district.  He  was  nominated  and  voted  for  by  the 
"  Republican  "  party,  —  a  party,  which  comprehended  that 
portion  of  the  old  democratic  party  which  supported  in 
general  the  administration  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  which  was 
not  merged  in  the  organization  then  forming  for  the  eleva- 
tion of  General  Jackson  to  the  presidency.  In  June  of  the 
following  year,  without  any  regular  nomination  from  any 
quarter,  he  was  elected  by  the  legislature  to  the  senate  of 
the  United  States  by  a  large  majority.    ' 

A  new  presidential  election  occurred  in  1828.  By  a 
coalition  which  was  effected  between  the  leading  influences 


THE  ERA    OF  POLITICS.  419 

of  the  slave  states,  and  those  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania, 
Andrew  Jackson  and  John  C.  Calhoun,  both  slaveholders, 
were  respectively  chosen  president  and  vice  president  of  the 
United  States.  It  was  plainly  noticeable  that  persons  hold- 
ing opposite  opinons  on  the  constitutional  powers  of  the 
government,  and  on  the  leading  measures  of  Mr.  Adams's 
administration,  had  united  to  overthrow  it.  "  It  is  my 
opinion,"  said  Webster,  in  a  speech  at  Faneuil  Hall,^  "  that 
the  present  government  of  the  United  States  cannot  be  main- 
tained but  by  administering  it  on  principles  as  wide  and 
broad  as  the  country  over  which  it  extends.  I  mean,  of 
course,  no  extension  of  the  powers  which  it  confers ;  but  I 
speak  of  the  spirit  with  which  those  powers  should  be  exer- 
cised. If  there  be  any  doubts  whether  so  many  republics, 
covering  so  vast  a  territory,  can  be  long  held  together  under 
this  constitution,  there  is  no  doubt,  in  my  judgment,  of  the 
impossibility  of  so  holding  them  together  by  any  narrow, 
local,  or  selfish  system  of  legislation.  To  render  the  consti- 
tution perpetual  (which  God  grant  it  may  be),  it  is  necessary 
that  its  benefits  should  be  practically  felt  by  all  parts  of  the 
countr3\  The  east  and  the  west,  the  north  and  the  south, 
must  all  see  their  welfare  protected  and  advanced  by  it. 
While  the  eastern  frontier  is  defended  by  fortifications,  its 
harbors  improved,  and  commerce  protected  by  a  naval 
force,  it  is  right  and  just  that  the  region  beyond  the  Allegha- 
nies  should  receive  fair  consideration  and  equal  attention 
in  any  object  of  public  improvement  interesting  to  itself,  and 
within  the  pi'oper  power  of  the  government." 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1833  the  whole  country  was  thrown 
into  dismay  by  the  attitude  of  South  Carolina.  In  the  pre- 
ceeding  year,  this  state  had  pubhshed  an  ordinance  resisting 

'  On  the  6tli  of  June. 


420  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  collection  of  duties  imposed  by  the  tariff,  and  denied 
the  authority  of  the  general  government  to  enforce  what 
she  deemed  an  unconstitutional  law.  Undaunted  by  the 
president's  proclamation  of  warning,  South  Carolina  re- 
solved to  maintain  her  rights  as  a  sovereign  state,  by  organ- 
izing troops,  and  providing  munitions  of  war  ;  and  intimated 
that  if  an  attempt  was  made  by  the  general  government  to 
enforce  the  collection  of  such  duties,  she  would  exercise  her 
right  to  secede  from  the  Union,  and  "  forthwith  proceed  to 
organize  a  separate  government."  The  president  remained 
firm,  and  acted  with  decision ;  the  state  receded  from  her 
defiant  position,  and  the  storm  calmed  down.  On  the  4th 
of  March,  General  Jackson  entered  upon  his  second  term 
of  office,  with  Martin  Van  Buren,  of  New  York,  as  vice 
president. 

Meanwhile  a  new  party  had  sprung  into  existence  in  Mas- 
sachusetts and  elsewhere.  It  was  known  as  the  "  National 
Republican,"  and  comprehended  all  those  who  were  opposed 
to  the  re-election  of  General  Jackson.  In  December,  1831, 
the  party  held  a  convention  at  Baltimore,  and  nominated 
Henry  Clay  for  the  presidency.  Mr.  Clay  proved,  however, 
to  be  an  unsuccessful  candidate.  Nevertheless,  the  party 
which  had  supported  Mr.  Clay  for  the  presidency  in  the 
election  of  1832,  naturally  remained  in  opposition  to  his 
successful  rival.  But  the  name  of  the  party,  never  well 
suited  to  the  circumstances  of  the  times,  was  now  changed. 
In  these  circumstances  it  was  felt  that  in  the  existing  strug- 
gle between  the  parties  actually  arrayed  against  each  other, 
and  in  the  principles  and  doctrines  of  those  who  were  in 
power,  there  was  a  fitness  in  the  revival  of  a  term  which 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  had  been  historically  associated 
with  the  side  of  liberty  against  the  side  of  power.     Thus  the 


THE  ERA    OF  POLITICS.  421 

National  Republicans  suddenly  assumed  the  name  of  Whigs, 
with  a  purpose  in  view  to  uphold  the  proper  functions  of 
the  legislature  against  executive  encroachments. 

In  the  spring  of  1834  Governor  Lincoln  voluntarily  with- 
drew from  his  high  official  station,  Avith  the  universal  respect 
and  grateful  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Having  brought 
to  his  office  talents  and  qualities  of  a  high  and  varied  charac- 
ter, sound  judgment,  broad  and  liberal  views,  a  familiarity 
with  details,  a  skill  in  the  adaptation  of  means  to  ends,  a 
knowledge  of  men,  and  an  unselfish  desire  to  advance  the 
best  interests  of  the  commonwealth,  Governor  Lincoln  was 
crowned  with  a  distinguished  success  throughout  his  entire 
administration.  In  iSfarch,  1834,  the  Hon.  John  Davis  suc- 
ceeded to  the  gubernatorial  chair. 

Governor  Davis,  when  elected  to  this  position,  had  never 
before  been  connected,  in  an  official  manner,  with  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  state.  His  public  life  had  wholly  been 
confined  to  the  national  Congress  ;  and  the  reputation  which 
he  had  acquired  there  was  the  basis  of  his  popularity  at 
home.  Succeeding,  as  he  did,  one  of  the  most  popular  chief 
magistrates  of  Massachusetts,  the  post  was  a  difficult  one 
to  fill  without  suffering  by  comparison.  He  filled  it,  how- 
ever, without  a  diminution  in  the  amount  of  public  regard 
which  his  predecessor  had  won.  At  the  time  of  his  election 
no  choice  was  made  by  the  people,  but  he  was  elevated  to 
his  station  by  a  large  majority  of  votes  in  the  legislature. 
From  first  to  last  his  executive  administration  was  char- 
acterized by  a  careful  and  conscientious  attention  to  every 
department  of  duty,  by  a  strict  regard  to  the  constitu- 
tional limitation  upon  his  authority,  by  a  zealous  guardian- 
ship of  the  rights  of  the  state  in  her  relations  with  the  general 
government  and  her  sister  states,  and  by  a  watchful  concern 


422  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

in  all  her  industrial  interests,  in  her  educational  system,  and 
her  charitable  institutions.^ 

During  the  administration  of  Governor  Davis  occurred 
one  of  the  most  dastardly  outrages  that  has  ever  polluted 
the  history  of  the  state.  On  the  night  of  the  11th  of  August, 
1834,  a  mob,  variously  estimated  at  from  four  to  ten  thou- 
sand persons,  assembled  around  the  convent  of  St.  Ursula, 
which  stood  on  Mount  Benedict,  overlooking  the  Mystic, 
and  set  fire  to  both  the  convent  proper  and  the  surrounding 
out-buildings.  The  eflforts  of  the  firemen  proved  unavailing, 
and  the  flames  raged  until  everything  combustible  was 
consumed.  For  some  time  previous  the  rumor  had  prevailed 
that  Mary  St.  John  Harrison,  an  inmate  of  the  convent,  had 
either  been  abducted  or  secreted  where  she  could  not  be 
found  by  her  friends.  This  rumor  occasioned  the  most  in- 
tense excitement ;  and  in  Charlestown  placards  were  posted, 
announcing  that  on  such  a  night  the  convent  would  be 
burned.     Even  this  failed  to  arouse  the  authorities. 

When  the  mob  assembled,  the  superior  of  the  convent, 
together  with  the  inmates,  were  ordered  to  depart  from  the 
building.  There  were  a  dozen  nuns,  and  more  than  fifty 
scholars,  some  of  them  Protestants,  and  many  of  them  of  a 
tender  age.  With  great  difficulty  they  made  good  their 
escape.  Such  was  the  fury  of  the  mob,  that  not  even 
the  tomb  belonging  to  the  convent  was  respected,  but 
was  broken  into,  and  insult  offered  to  the  ashes  of  the 
dead. 

Following  this  outrage  the  indignation  of  the  better  por- 
tion of  the  community  was  aroused.  A  large  meeting  of 
the  citizens  of  Boston  was  held  in  Faneuil  Hall,  at  which 
the  voices  of  Harrison    Gray  Otis,  and    of  Josiah  Quincy, 

'  Trans,  of  Am.  Antiq.  Soc,  iii.  SS.'). 


THE  ERA    OF  POLITICS.  423 

Jr.,  were  heard.  Reprisals  from  the  Catholics  were  looked 
for  ;  but,  quite  unexpected!}',  they  showed  remarkable  for- 
bearance. The  judicious  conduct  of  Bishop  Fenwick  allayed 
the  exasperation  of  his  flock  ;  and  even  Father  Taylor,  the 
venerable  pastor  of  the  seamen,  "  was  listened  to  with  respect- 
ful attention  by  a  large  assemblage  of  Irish  Catholics,  who 
had  gathered  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  tlieir  church 
in  Franklin  Street,  Boston,  on  the  same  occasion."  Many 
arrests  were  made,  and  several  of  the  rioters  were  convicted 
and  punished.  Neither  on  the  part  of  Chief  Justice  Shaw, 
nor  of  the  governor,  was  any  effort  spared  to  bring  the 
offenders  to  justice,  and  to  vindicate  the  good  name  of  the 
commonwealth. 

In  Massachusetts  the  party  which  supported  the  adminis- 
tration of  General  Jackson,  and  which  now  became  known 
as  the  Democratic  Party,  had  never  been  very  strong.  As 
the  time  for  a  new  presidential  election  approached,  the 
whigs,  who  constituted  the  opposition,  began  to  look  about 
them  for  a  suitable  candidate.  In  point  of  numbers  and  in 
weight  of  character  the  whigs  were  the  strongest  in  the 
state  legislature  ;  the  democrats  were  in  a  feeble  minority  ; 
and  the  third  party  of  Anti-Masonry,  were  likewise  of 
inferior  importance.  In  February,  1835,  the  whigs  nomi- 
nated Mr.  Webster  for  the  presidency.  Elsewhere  men  of 
entire  honesty  of  purpose,  and  of  great  respectabilit3%  ar- 
dently desired  to  make  Mr.  Webster  president  of  the  United 
States.  But  they  could  not  content  themselves  with  the 
Bufficiency  of  his  character  as  a  statesman,  and  .thought  it 
necessary  to  press  him  on  the  point  of  masonry. 

Mr.  Webster  well  knew  that  without  a  co-operation  of 
the  M'hig  and  the  anti-masonic  elements  he  could  never  bo 
elected  to  the  station,  which  he  much  desired  to  attain.     His 


424  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

whig  fiiends  regarded  all  the  excitement  on  the  subject  of 
masonry  as  eminently  unnecessary ;  while  on  the  other 
hand,  his  anti-masonic  friends,  whose  private  communica- 
tions revealed  to  him  the  desire  to  have  him  made  the  can- 
didate of  their  party,  did  not  perceive  that  they  exacted 
from  him  a  pledge  which  it  would  have  been  unbecoming 
in  him  to  give.  Mr.  Webster  —  and  his  answer  furnishes 
the  means  of  determining  not  only  his  character  but  also  his 
rank  as  a  statesman  and  a  patriot  —  did  not  hesitate  to  say 
to  the  latter,  that  he  regarded  "  secret  societies,  the  members 
of  which  take  upon  themselves  extraordinary  obligations, 
and  are  bound  together  by  secret  oaths,  as  objectionable  ; 
and  he  commended  highly  the  sentiment  wliich  the  anti- 
masons  had  adopted,  of  the  supremacy  of  the  laws."  ^ 
But  he  refused  to  define  the  duty  of  a  chief  magistrate  in 
making  appointments  to  office  ;  or,  in  other  words,  to  say  to 
his  correspondents  that,  if  elected,  he  would  ajopoint  none 
but  anti-masons  to  office.  This,  in  fact,  was  what  he  was 
desired  to  say. 

"When  the  time  for  the  general  election  drew  near,  it  was 
understood  in  Massachusetts  that  a  great  majority  of  its 
citizens  demanded  the  choice  of  presidential  electors  who 
would  cast  the  vote  of  the  state  for  Mr.  Webster ;  although 
the  want  of  co-operation  elsewhere,  arising  from  the  imperfect 
organization  of  the  whig  party,  rendered  it  impossible  that 
he  should  be  chosen.  After  a  bitter  contest,  Martin  Van 
Buren,  who  had  been  vice  president  under  General  Jackson, 
was  elected  president  of  the  United  States. 

In  March,  1835,  Governor  Davis  was  elected  to  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States,  and,  through  the  remainder  of  his  term, 

'  Curtis,  Life  of  Webster,  i.  509. 


THE  ERA    OF  POLITICS.  425 

Samuel  T.  Armstrong,  the  lieutenant  governor,  performed 
the  duties  of  the  executive.  In  the  autumn  of  1S35  the 
Hon.  Edward  Everett  was  nominated  as  chief  magistrate  by 
a  whig  convention  held  in  Boston,  and  was  elected  by  a 
majority  of  upward  of  eleven  thousand  votes. 
54 


426  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 
THE  GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION. 

It  was  a  most  felicitous  concurrence  of  events  that  raised 
Edward  Everett  to  the  executive  chair  of  Massachusetts. 
He  was  a  ripe  and  accurate  scholar,  a  man  of  large  attain- 
ments, a  brilliant  orator,  and  not  an  inferior  statesman. 
Born  in  1794,  and  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1811, 
he  was  chosen  to  Congress  by  the  young  men  in  Middlesex 
in  1825,  and  from  the  very  first  became  an  earnest  supporter 
of  the  administration  of  John  Quincy  Adams.  He  remained 
in  Congress  until  1835,  the  year  in  which  he  was  chosen  to 
the  governorship. 

Governor  Everett's  official  term  was  a  period  of  unusual 
interest  in  the  history  of  the  state.  Foremost  among  the 
achievements  during  his  administration  was  the  establish- 
ing of  a  school  system  upon  a  better  and  more  fruitful 
foundation  than  had  hitherto  been  reached.  In  1835,  the 
Rev.  Charles  Brooks,  of  INIedford,  delivered  a  course  of 
lectures  on  the  Prussian  system  of  State  Normal  Schools, 
in  the  town  of  Hingham.  "  The  whole  Prussian  system," 
he  said,  "  is  built  on  these  eight  words,  —  As  is  the  Teacher, 
so  is  the  School;  —  and  therefore  we  must  have  seminaries 
for  the  preparation  of  teachers,  and  I  hope  the  first  one 
will  be  in  Plymouth  county.  From  what  I  have  learned, 
it  is  now  my  opinion  that  the  Prussian  system  is  to  make 
a  new  era  in  the  public  elementary  education  of  the  United 


CZ^^^y~e.^/-yL         ^^    /r^y^f:^^ . 


THE   GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  427 

States."  In  the  following  year  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brook:-,  lec- 
tured in  other  parts  of  the  state,  and  sought  to  estahlisli 
the  theory  that  there  was  need  of  a  normal  school,  owned, 
6upp6rted,  and  governed  by  the  state  for  the  state's  service. 

Meanwhile  a  writer  —  and  a  graduate  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege —  had  published  an  article  in  the  "  Boston  Daily  Adver- 
tiser," at  that  time  the  leading  newspaper  in  New  England, 
in  which  he  facetiously  ridiculed  the  idea  of  normal  schools, 
and  represented  Mr.  Brooks  with  a  fool's  cap  on  his  head, 
marching  up  State  Street,  in  Boston,  at  the  head  of  a  crowd 
of  ragamuffin  young  men  and  women,  who  bore  a  banner  with 
this  inscription  :  "  To  a  Normal  School  in  the  clouds."  But 
such  classic  raillery  passed  for  nothing,  and  the  Avriter  of  the 
article  survived  long  enough  to  discern  a  proof  of  his  abys- 
mal ignorance.  The  intelligent  men  and  women  in  Plym- 
outh county  awakened  to  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  the 
subject,  and  in  conventions  assembled  passed  resolutions 
deploring  the  low  state  of  the  public  schools,  expressing 
a  readiness  for  reform,  and  declaring,  in  favor  of  the  Prus- 
sian model,  that  the  surplus  revenues  should  be  used  to 
advance  the  cause  of  education. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  new  year  Governor  Everett 
asked,  "  Whether  the  creation  of  a  Board  of  Commissioners 
of  Schools,  to  serve  without  salary,  with  authority  to  ap- 
point a  secretary,  on  a  reasonable  compensation,  to  be  paid 
from  the  school  fund,  would  not  be  of  great  utility  ?  "  On 
the  10th  of  January  the  House  of  Representatives  requested 
to  be  instructed  on  the  subject  of  normal  schools,  and  to 
Mr.  Brooks  the  committee  on  education  extended  a  patient 
hearing.  A  Plymouth  county  convention,  held  at  Halifax 
on  the  24th  of  January,  voted  to  petition  the  legislature 
for  normal  schools.     In  the  American  Institute,  Mr.  Ichabod 


428  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Morton  offered  a  resolution  to  petition  for  the  same  object. 
Mr.  George  B.  Emerson  prepared  the  petition,  which,  for 
comprehension  of  thought,  force  of  statement,  truth  of  rea- 
soning, and  persuasiveness  of  spirit,  could  not  be  surpassed. 
It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  by  so  doing,  Mr.  Emerson  laid 
all  future  generations  under  obligations  to  his  personal  labors 
as  a  teacher,  and  to  his  pen,  as  a  philosopher  and  Chris- 
tian. One  month  later  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ch^anning,  in  a  public 
address,  said,  "  We  need  an  institution  for  the  formation 
of  better  teachers ;  and,  until  this  step  is  taken,  we  can 
make  no  important  progress.  An  institution  for  training 
men  to  train  the  young  would  be  a  fountain  of  living 
waters,  sending  forth  streams  to  refresh  present  and  future 
ages.  We  trust  that  our  legislators  will  not  always  prove 
blind  to  the  highest  interests  of  the  state." 

What  had  already  been  done  carried  conviction  to  every 
reasoning  mind.  Early  in  the  spring  a  vote  of  the  legis- 
lature established  the  Board  of  Education.  On  the  20th 
of  April  it  was  approved  by  the  governor,  and  on  the  29th 
of  June  it  was  organized.  A  few  days  later  the  Hon. 
Horace  Mann  laid  down  his  law  books,  and  became  the 
first  secretarj'-  of  the  Board.  Not  a  man  in  the  common- 
wealth could  have  planned  more  wisely  or  executed  his 
duties  more  successfully.  The  record  of  his  labors  will 
be  his  everlasting  monument.  After  providing  for  several 
county  conventions,  the  Board  of  Education  instituted  a 
course  of  lectures  to  be  delivered  by  different  gentlemen 
in  the  House  of  Representatives.  On  the  25th  of  January, 
1838,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brooks  spoke  on  "  Normal  Schools  and 
school  reform."  Eight  days  later  Governor  Everett,  who 
wrote  the  first  annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
recommended   that   the   legislature   should   establish  normal 


THE  GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  429 

schools.  The  Hon.  Edmund  Dwight  gave  ten  thousand 
doUars  for  the  purpose,  and  on  the  19th  of  April  the  legis- 
lature accepted  this  munificent  gift,  and  established  the  first 
State  Xormal  School  —  at  Lexington  — on  this  continent.^ 

On  the  loth  of  March,  1833,  the  persons  who  were  then 
directors  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  Railroad  Company, 
were  individually  incorporated  as  "  The  Western  Railroad 
Corporation,"  with  authority  to  construct  a  railroad  from 
the  Boston  and  Worcester  Railroad  in  Worcester,  to  Con- 
necticut River  in  Springfield,  and  thence  across  it  to  the 
western  boundary  of  the  state,  in  a  direction  toward  the 
Hudson  River.  The  capital  was  to  consist  of  not  less 
than  ten  thousand,  nor  more  than  twenty  thousand,  shares, 
of  one  hundred  dollars  each. 

The  most  unwearied  exertions  were  made  to  procure  the 
necessary  subscriptions,  and  meetings  were  held  in  all  the 
towns  on  the  route  of  the  road,  and  the  citizens  urgently 
appealed  to.  It  had  been  agreed  that  the  corporation  should 
not  be  organized  until  two  millions  were  subscribed  by  re- 
sponsible parties,  and  that  the  construction  of  the  road 
should  not  be  commenced  until  the  sum  of  ten  dollars  per 
share  should  be  assessed  and  paid  in  on  each  share.  People 
generally  soon  began  to  doubt  the  productiveness  of  the 
stock,  and  were  slow  to  lend  their  aid.  On  the  13th  of 
August,  1835,  the  directors  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester 
company  closed  their  books,  —  at  which  time  seven  thousand 
shares  were  wanting.  As  a  last  resort,  it  was  determined  to 
call  a  large  mass  meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall,  Boston,  and  such 
a  meeting  was  held  on  the  evening  of  the  7th  of  October. 
The  Hon.  Abbott  Lawrence  was  appointed  chairman,  and 
the   packed  audience  was  addressed  by  some  of  the  ablest 

'  This  school  was  afterwards  removed  to  Framingham. 


430  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

speakers  of  the  day.  At  this  meeting  a  committee  of  six 
at  hirge,  and  three  for  each  ward  in  Boston  and  South 
Boston,  was  appointed  to  solicit  further  subscriptions.  By 
the  efforts  of  this  and  of  other  committees,  the  required 
amount  was  obtained  by  December  5,  1835,  with  sufficient 
surplus  for  losses  and  contingencies.  On  the  4th  of  the 
month  following,  the  Western  Railroad  Corporation  was  duly 
organized. 

Three  days  later  Governor  Everett,  in  his  message  to 
the  legislature,  said,  "It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  that 
the  subscription  to  the  capital  stock  to  the  amount  of  two 
millions  of  dollars  has  been  filled."  He  added,  "  Should 
the  work,  in  its  progress,  stand  in  need  of  resources  be- 
yond the  reach  of  the  enterprise  and  means  of  the  indi- 
vidual citizens  by  whom  it  is  undertaken,  it  is  believed 
that  the  public  patronage  could  be  safely  extended  to  it, 
as  a  project  of  vast  general  utility,  whose  successful  exe- 
cution would  form  an  era  in  the  prosperity  of   the  state." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  stockholders  for  organization,  the 
directors  were  instructed  to  apply  to  the  legislature  for 
aid  in  the  construction  of  the  road.  The  petition  was 
drawn  up  and  presented  on  the  16th  of  January.  At 
the  same  session  of  the  legislature  was  presented  a  memo- 
rial, signed  by  a  large  committee  of  the  citizens  of  Bos- 
ton, praying  for  the  establishment  of  a  bank,  with  a  capital 
of  ten  millions.  This  and  similar  memorials  from  various 
parts  of  the  state  were  referred  to  the  committee  on  banks ; 
and  in  the  following  March  "  An  act  to  establish  the  State 
Bank  of  Massachusetts"  was  reported  in  the  House.  The 
main  features  of  this  act  were  :  "A  capital  of  ten  millions, 
half  the  stock  to  be  subscribed  and  owned  by  the  state, 
and  paid  in,  in  gold  and  silver,  or  state  scrip,  at  four  and 


THE  GROWTH  OF   PUBLIC  OPINION.  431 

one  half  per  cent,  interest,  to  run  twenty  years.  For  the 
remaining  half,  books  to  be  opened  for  subscription  in  each 
county  of  the  state.  If  a  surplus  was  subscribed,  the  largest 
subscriptions  to  be  reduced,  &c.  No  bills  under  five  dol- 
lars to  be  issued,  and  a  branch  might  be  established  in  each 
county  in  the  state,  the  county  voting  for  the  same,  and 
fixing  its  location.  The  tenth  section  required  the  direc- 
tors to  subscribe  for  ten  thousand  shares  in  the  Western 
Railroad  Corporation,  and  to  pay  all  assessments  on  the  same, 
—  the  bank  to  retain  one  half  the  bank  tax  on  its  capital, 
or  twenty -five  thousand  dollars  semi-annually,  and  the  re- 
ceipts and  income  on  the  stock  in  the  road,  —  until  the 
said  tax  and  receipts  should  reimburse  them  for  payments 
of  the  assessments." 

Such  a  monster  bank  found  no  favor  in  the  democratic 
party,  but  the  large  mass  of  business  men  were  clamorous 
for  an  increase  of  bank  capital  on  the  withdrawal  of  the 
United  States  Bank.  On  the  26th  of  March,  a  special 
committee  reported  to  the  legislature  a  bill  directing  the 
state  treasurer  to  subscribe  one  million  dollars  to  the  stock 
of  the  Western  Railroad  Corporation,  and  pay  all  assess- 
ments thereon,  and  providing  that  three  of  the  nine  di- 
rectors of  the  road  should  be  chosen  by  the  legislature. 
On  the  28th,  the  bill  passed  the  House,  was  then  received 
and  passed  by  the  Senate,  and  was  signed  by  the  gov- 
ernor on  the  4th  of  April.  On  the  30th  of  March,  the  bank 
bill  was  rejected ;  but,  upon  being  reconsidered  the  next 
day,  it  was  indefinitely  postponed  on  the  motion  of  Mr. 
Lawrence,  who  had  reported  it. 

It  was  during  Governor  Everett's  administration  that  the 
question  of  slavery  began  to  be  very  seriously  and  openly 
discussed.     During  the  years  of  1834-35,  the  proceedings  of 


432  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  New  England  Anti-Slavery  Society,  which  had  recently 
assumed  the  name  of  the  ]\Iassachusetts  Anti-Slavery  So- 
ciety, were  conducted  on  a  more  extended  scale.  On  the 
25th  of  January,  1837,  this  society  assembled  for  the  first 
time,  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  elo- 
quent speeches  were  made  in  favor  of  the  abolition  of 
slavery  and  of  the  slave  trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 
The  flame  thus  kindled  was  not  soon  to  be  extinguished. 
At  the  sixth  anniversary  meeting  of  the  society,  in  1838, 
Mr.  Edmund  Quincy  submitted  a  resolution,  acknowledging 
the  high  degree  in  which  the  anti-slavery  cause  had  pros- 
pered in  the  preceding  year,  and  "  the  bright  ray  of  promise 
which  assures  us  that  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness will  not  forever  be  obscured  by  the  mists  which  rise 
from  a  sensual  and  mercenary  world."  A  few  weeks  later 
the  legislature  adopted  resolutions  against  the  admission  of 
Texas ;  against  the  admission  of  any  more  slave  states  ;  in 
favor  of  the  abolition  of  slavery  and  the  slave  trade  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  the  prohibition  of  slavery  in  the 
territories.  Meanwhile  Wendell  Phillips  had  raised  his  voice 
against  the  annexation  of  Texas,  and  Angelina  E.  Grimke, 
the  first  lady  ever  permitted  to  address  a  legislative  com- 
mittee in  the  commonwealth,  had  invoked  the  action  of  the 
legislature  toward  the  same  end. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1837,  the  Rev.  Elijah  Lovejoy 
was  murdered  by  a  mob  at  Alton,  Illinois.  The  tidings 
of  this  startling  tragedy  swept  over  the  country  like  wild- 
fire, everywhere  spreading  alarm,  and  fixing  the  attention 
of  thoughtful  people.  The  enemies  of  slavery  received 
the  news  with  profound  sorrow.  On  the  8th  of  December, 
Faneuil  Hall  was  filled  to  overflowing  with  the  citizens  of 
Boston   and   vicinity.      Dr.    Channing   made   an    impressive 


THE   GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  4^,3 

appeal,  and  offered  a  series  of  resolutions.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  James  T.  Austin,  the  attorney-general  of  the 
commonwealth.  This  adroit  caucus  speaker  compared  the 
murderers  of  Lovcjoy  with  the  men  who  destroyed  the  tea 
in  Boston  harbor,  and,  having  pronounced  a  most  disgrace- 
ful harangue,  retired  amid  the  plaudits  of  the  riotous  element 
of  the  meeting.  Mr.  Phillips  then  arose.  "When  I  heard," 
said  he,  "  the  gentleman  lay  down  principles  which  placed 
the  murderers  of  Alton  side  by  side  with  Otis  and  Hancock, 
with  Quincy  and  Adams,  I  thought  those  pictured  lips  "  — 
pointing  to  their  portraits  in  the  hall  —  "  would  have  broken 
into  voice  to  rebuke  the  recreant  American,  the  slanderer 
of  the  dead.  Sir,  for  the  sentiments  he  has  uttered,  on 
soil  consecrated  by  the  prayers  of  the  Puritans  and  the 
blood  of  patriots,  the  earth  should  have  3-awned  and 
swallowed  him  up."  At  this  point  the  wildest  confusion 
ensued,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the 
speaker's  voice  could  be  heard.  Mr.  Phillips  firmly  declared 
that  he  would  not  retract  what  he  had  said,  and  closed  his 
speech  by  remarking  that,  "  when  liberty  was  in  danger, 
Faneuil  Hall  had  the  right,  and  it  was  her  duty,  to  strike 
the  key-note  for  the  Union  ;  that  the  passage  of  the  reso- 
lutions, in  spite  of  the  opposition,  led  by  the  attorney-gen- 
eral, will  show  more  decidedly  the  deep  indignation  with 
which  Boston  regards  this  outrage." 

By  this  sublime  effort  Mr.  Phillips  placed  himself  among 
the  foremost  of  American  orators  ;  and  upon  that  very  day 
he  consecrated  himself  to  the  defence  of  human  rights,  and 
took  that  hazardous  position  which  he  subsequently  main- 
tained. Nor  was  Phillips  the  only  champion  of  the  cause. 
Others  there  were,  and,  in  the  days  to  come,  history  will 
point  with  more  than  common  pride  to  fhe  names  of  William 
55 


434  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Lloyd  Garrison,  Amos  A.  Phelps,  Edmund  Qninc}'-,  "William 
Ellery  Channing,  and  of  a  score  of  others,  as  the  few  brave 
souls  who  dared  to  assert  the  justice  of  freedom,  and  to 
strike  the  key-note  for  the  Union. 

The  last  year  of  Jackson's  administration  appeared  to 
be  one  of  great  national  prosperity.  Two  years  before,  the 
public  debt  had  been  cancelled,  and  a  surplus  remained 
in  the  treasury  of  nearly  forty  millions  of  dollars.  The 
state  banks,  in  which  the  deposits  had  been  placed,  loaned 
money  freely,  and  other  banks  sprang  into  existence,  until 
their  number  reached  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty.  The 
notes  with  which  they  flooded  the  country  gave  a  fictitious 
value  to  everything  that  was  bought  and  sold.  The  wild- 
est schemes  of  speculation  were  set  afloat,  and  the  sales 
of  the  public  lands  alone  amounted  to  millions  in  a  month. 
In  order  to  restrain  the  sale  of  public  lands,  President  Jack- 
son had  issued,  through  the  treasury  department,  an  order 
known  as  the.  "  Specie  Circular,"  requiring  the  collectors 
at  the  office  to  receive  only  gold  and  silver  in  payments 
for  land ;  and  six  months  later,  Congress,  by  law,  dis- 
tributed the  government  funds  among  the  states,  on  de- 
posit in  the  banks.  To  meet  such  a  demand,  the  loans 
were  called  in ;  and  the  specie  circular  arrested  the  circu- 
lation of  the  bank  notes,  and  brought  them  back  to  their 
counters  to  be  exchanged  for  gold  and  silver. 

Six  months  after  this  distribution  the  business  of  the 
whole  country  was  prostrated.  The  financial  storm  of  1837 
was  one  of  the  most  disastrous  that  had  ever  been  known. 
Over  the  entire  land  it  winged  its  fearful  course,  visiting 
Massachusetts,  and  particularly  Boston,  and  sparing  no  com- 
mercial community.  Improvements  of  all  kinds  ceased ; 
thousands   of    laboring   men    were   thrown   out   of  employ- 


THE   GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  435- 

raent.  All  of  the  banks  had  suspended  specie  payment. 
Such  Avas  the  condition  of  affairs,  that  the  importers  had 
neither  gold  nor  silver  to  pay  duties,  and  the  government 
itself  was  deprived  of  the  means  to  defray  its  current  ex- 
penses. Congress  assembled  in  September  ;  but  the  presi- 
dent had  no  suggestions  to  offer,  and  appeared  to  be  in 
favor  of  the  people  taking  care  of  themselves. 

During  this  year  a  scandalous  occurrence  took  place  in 
Boston,  in  the  payment,  by  the  local  disbursing  officers 
of  the  United  States,  of  pensions  and  fishing  bounties  in 
the  bills  of  a  bank  —  the  Commonwealth  —  which  was  on 
the  eve  of  failure.  By  this  meretricious  proceeding  hun- 
dreds of  people  were  defrauded  of  their  all.  On  the  17th 
of  January,  1838,  Mr.  Webster  brought  this  disgraceful  affair 
before  the  Senate.  Upon  tliis  occasion,  he  pointed  out  that, 
"  while  the  general  paper  currency  of  the  country  was  left 
depreciated  and  deranged  for  the  want  of  some  regulating 
and  restraining  power,  the  establishment  of  an  exclusive 
system  of  gold  and  silver  for  government  use  could  not 
secure  safety  to  the  government  or  its  creditors ;  for,  in 
spite  of  the  provisions  of  law,  the  disbursing  agents  of 
the  government  will  always  be  tempted  to  offer,  and  the 
creditors  be  made  to  accept,  paper  which  passes  for  money  in 
the  particular  locality,  and  which  is  exposed  at  all  times 
to  the  hazard  of  falling  dead  in  the  hands  of  its  holders. 
He  held  the  scheme  of  one  kind  of  currency  for  the  gov- 
ernment and  another  for  the  people  to  be  both  imprac- 
ticable and  dangerous."  ^ 

On  the  17th  of  September,  1836,  Harvard  College  cele- 
brated her  second  centennial  anniversary.  It  was  an  oc- 
casion   of    peculiar   interest   for    all   of    her   sons,   and    the 

'  Life  of  Webster,  i.  575.  Works,  iv.  377,  seq. 


436  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

festivities  were  remarkably  brilliant  and  successful.  Up- 
wards of  fifteen  hundred  graduates  ai\d  their  friends,  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  assembled  in  Cambridge  on  that 
day.  President  Quincy  delivered  the  address  in  the  church, 
and  at  the  dinner,  which  was  served  under  a  large  pavilion, 
Governor  Everett  presided  in  an  admirable  manner.  In 
the  evening  the  college  yard  and  halls  were  illuminated, 
and  a  reception  was  given  at  the  president's  house,  which 
was  attended  by  a  host  of  distinguished  strangers  who  had 
been  called  together  by  the"  anniversary.  The  day  was 
one  never  to  be  forgotten  by  such  as  had  the  good  fortune 
to  be  present. 

In  the  election  of  1839,  the  Democrats  carried  the  day, 
and  the  Hon.  Marcus  Morton,  their  candidate,  was  chosen 
to  the  office  of  chief  magistrate.  Mr.  Everett  lost  his  re- 
election by  a  single  vote,  much  to  the  sorrow  of  his  friends 
and  supporters.  Mr.  Everett  was  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful governors  of  the  commonwealth.  As  the  education  of 
the  people  was  the  central  idea  of  his  life,  so  did  he  always 
seek  to  encourage  every  movement  which  had  for  its  object 
the  elevation  of  the  people  and  the  internal  improvement 
of  the  state.  It  was  at  his  suggestion  that  the  Statute  Laws 
of  the  state  were  revised,  and  that,  in  1838,  the  agricul- 
tural, zoological,  and  geological  surveys  of  the  state  were 
made. 

In  his  inaugural  message  to  the  legislature.  Governor 
Morton  reviewed  the  industrial,  educational,  and  financial 
condition  of  the  state,  and  urged  a  rigorous  retrenchment 
of  expenses  in  all  departments  of  public  interest.  The 
legislature  acted  fully  in  accordance  with  this  policy,  and 
sought  to  practise  economy  to  the  detriment  of  some  of 
the  better  interests  of  the  commonwealth.     The  committee 


THE   GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  437 

on  education  were  instructed  to  inquire  into  the  exi)ediency 
of  continuing  the  Board  of  Education  and  normal  schools  ; 
and,  acting  on  the  recommendation  of  this  committee,  the 
House,  in  INIarch,  passed  an  act  abolishing  the  Board  of 
Education.  This  act  was  rejected  by  the  Senate,  however, 
and  was  refused  by  the  governor.  In  the  meantime  certain 
members  of  the  committee  on  education  presented  a  minority 
report  on  the  subject.  The  wisdom  of  this  report  undoubt- 
edly saved  the  state  from  disgrace.  "  Whatever  objections  " 
—  such  were  its  closing  words  — "  any  one  might  have 
had  to  the  establishment  of  the  Board  and  the  normal 
schools  originally,  yet  since  they  have  been  created,  and 
organized,  it  seems  but  right  that  they  should  have  a  fair 
trial.  Let  the  experiment  be  tried,  and  not  broken  off  as 
soon  as  begun.  It  has  not  yet  had  that  trial.  A  change  in 
public  sentiment  cannot  be  effected  at  once.  Any  new  prop- 
osition, liowever  valuable,  may  meet  with  opposition  at  first. 
If  the  Board  and  normal  schools  are  abolished  now,  they 
cannot  be  said  to  have  failed.  They  will  have  fallen  pre- 
maturely by  the  hand  -^'hich  should  have  sustained  them. 
Men  who  desire  to  see  the  whole  people  educated  in  the 
manner  that  the  citizens  of  a  free  republic  ought  to  be, 
that  rational  and  immortal  beings  ought  to  be,  will  not 
be  satisfied  until  measures  which  they  deem  important  to 
effect  their  favorite  object  have  been  fairly  tested." 

Mr.  Morton  failed  of  re-election  in  1840,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  executive  chair  by  the  Hon.  John  Davis. 
During  Governor  Davis's  administration  the  old  partisan 
strife  was  continued,  while  the  vigor  and  earnestness  of 
the  abolitionists  were  unabated.  The  great  political  strug- 
gle of  this  year  resulted  in  the  triumph  of  the  whig  party, 
not  only  in  Massachusetts,  but  in  many  other  states  of  the 


438  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Union.  The  whigs  secured  William  Henry  Harrison  as  the 
executive  of  the  nation,  and  large  majorities  in  both  houses 
of  Congress.  But  the  cause  of  freedom  gained  little  by  the 
change. 

In  the  autumn  of  1842,  George  Latimer,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, was  arrested  in  Boston  without  a  warrant,  and  claimed 
as  a  slave.  The  case  was  brought  before  the  courts,  where 
Chief  Justice  Shaw  ruled  that  "  the  statute  of  the  United 
States  authorized  the  owner  of  the  fugitive  to  arrest  him 
in  any  state  to  which  he  might  have  fled."  Pending  further 
action,  Latimer  remained  in  Boston  jail.  As  soon  as  tidings 
of  this  proceeding  were  spread  abroad,  the  greatest  ex- 
citement prevailed.  On  the  30th  of  October  —  a  Sabbath 
evening  —  a  large  body  of  citizens  met  in  Faneuil  Hall. 
Speeches  were  made,  and  resolutions  were  presented,  protest- 
ing, "  by  all  the  glorious  memories  of  the  revolutionary 
struggle,  in  the  names  of  justice,  liberty,  and  right,  in  the 
awful  name  of  God,  against  the  deliverance  of  George  Lati- 
mer into  the  hands  of  his  pursuers."  Letters  also  were 
read  from  John  Qnincy  Adams,  George  Bancroft,  Samuel 
Hoar,  William  B.  Calhoun,  and  others.  Amid  hisses  and 
uproar,  Wendell  Phillips  sought  to  speak.  "  When  I  look," 
he  said,  "upon  these  crowded  thousands,  and  see  them 
trample  on  their  consciences  and  the  rights  of  their  fellow- 
men  at  the  bidding  of  a  piece  of  parchment,  I  say,  '  My 
curse  be  upon  the  constitution  of  these  United  States.' " 

A  few  days  later,  a  petition  signed  by  many  influential 
citizens  was  presented  to  the  sheriif,  demanding  the  dis- 
missal of  the  jailer.  At  the  same  time,  another  petition 
was  prepared  requesting  Governor  Davis  to  dismiss  the 
sheriff  unless  he  removed  the  jailer.  Then  it  was  that 
the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver   agreed  to   pay  the  sum  of  four 


THE  GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  439 

hundred  dollars  "  on  the  deliver}^  of  free  papers,  and  the 
surrender  of  the  power  of  attorney  to  reclaim  his  wife." 
The  offer  was  accepted,  and  Latimer  was  released. 

The  excitement,  however,  did  not  end  here.  A  con- 
vention was  held,  and  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  legis- 
lature, praying  that  body  to  "  forbid  all  persons  holding 
office  inider  the  laws  of  the  state  from  aiding  in  the  arrest 
or  detention  of  persons  claimed  as  fugitives  from  slavery  ; 
to  forbid  the  use  of  jails,  or  other  public  property,  for  their 
detention  ;  and  to  prepare  amendments  to  the  federal  con- 
stitution that  should  forever  separate  the  people  of  the 
state  from  all  connection  with  slavery."  Subsequently,  cer- 
tain resolves  of  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  proposing 
to  Congress  to  recommend,  according  to  the  provisions  of 
the  fifth  article  of  the  constitution  of  the  United  States, 
an  amendment  to  the  said  constitution,  in  effect  abolishing 
the' representation  for  slaves,  and  signed  by  fifty  thousand 
of  the  citizens  of  the  state,  were  laid  upon  the  desk  of 
John  Quincy  Adams.  The  resolutions  were  presented  to 
the  House  on  the  21st  of  December,  1843.  A  great  sen- 
sation resulted  in  the  hall.  Said  Henry  A.  Wise,  of  Vir- 
ginia, "  I  saj'  solemn!}'  before  God,  as  a  southern  man, 
that  we  are  worsted  in  this  fight.  From  this  day  forth 
and  forever  I  withdraw  from  the  fight.  I  say  to  my  con- 
stituents, that  the  way  this  battle  has  been  fought,  there 
is  no  hope  for  your  rights.  Your  interests  are  doomed  to 
be  destroyed." 

Mr.  Adams  was  calm  and  dignified.  He  wished  the  mem- 
bers to  remember  that  these  were  the  resolutions  of  the 
democratic  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  and,  as  for  him- 
self, although  he  was  not  an  abolitionist,  in  the  sense  of 
any  abolition  society  he   was  acquainted  with,  he  believed, 


440  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

"with  Jefferson,  that  the  God  of  nature  had  decreed  the 
freedom  of  the  shives,  and  the  sooner  it  came  the  better. 
When  the  resolutions  of  JNIassachusetts  were  referred  to 
the  House,  that  body  rejected  them.  In  the  Senate  they 
were  not  only  rejected,  but  denounced  in  the  most  unspar- 
ing terms.  They  were  characterized  as  "  seditious,  incen- 
diary, and  revolutionary."  ^ 

For  many  j^ears  two  important  questions  of  controversy 
between  the  United  States  government  and  that  of  Great 
Britain  had  remained  unadjusted.  One  growing  out  of  cer- 
tain revolutionary  disturbances  along  the  Canada  borders, 
and  the  other  in  relation  to  the  north-eastern  boundary, 
between  the  State  of  Maine  and  the  British  province  of 
New  Brunswick.  Soon  after  entering  upon  his  duties  as 
secretary  of  state,  Mr.  Webster,  with  the  sanction  of  the 
president,  intimated  to  the  British  minister  at  Washington, 
that  the  government  of  the  United  States  was  desirous  of 
arranging  the  boundary  dispute,  by  agreeing  on  a  line,  by 
compromise  or  convention.  With  full  powers  to  settle  the 
controversy,  the  British  government  deputed  Lord  Ashbur- 
ton  as  special  minister  to  the  United  States. 

In  this  case,  the  interests  of  two  states  —  ]\Iaine  and 
Massachusetts  —  were  involved ;  for  in  the  disputed  ter- 
ritory lay  a  large  tract  of  land,  the  soil  of  which  was 
claimed  by  these  states,  and  in  addition  to  this,  Massachu- 
setts claimed  the  political  jurisdiction.  On  the  3d  of  March, 
1842,  in  anticipation  of  the  arrival  of  Lord  Ashburton,  the 
legislature  of  Massachusetts  adopted  resolutions,  declaring 
that  the  boundary  line  could  be  easily  traced  in  accordance 
with  the  treaty  of  1783  ;  that  IMassachusetts  had  a  joint 
interest  with   the  State  of  INIaine  in  the   proposed   negotia- 

'  Wilson,  Else  and  Fall,  ii.  470-487.      Quincy,  Life  of  J.  Q.  Adams,  409  seq. 


THE  GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  \\\ 

tions,  and  would  take  all  needful  steps  to  secure  her  rights, 
and  that  no  compromise  could  be  made  without  the  assent 
of  ihe  two  states.  Lord  Ashburton  arrived  in  AVashinsr- 
ton  on  the  4th  of  April,  and  on  the  11th,  Mr.  Webster 
officially  informed  the  governors  of  ]Maine  and  Massachu- 
setts of  his  arrival,  and  suggested  to  them  the  appointment 
of  commissioners  for  the  purpose  of  assenting  to  the  line 
that  might  be  agreed  upon.  Governor  Davis,  in  reply, 
signified  that  the  commissioners  would  probably  be  ap- 
pointed, and  that  the  state  was  ready  to  make  any  reason- 
able concessions  to  the  convenience  of  Great  Britain,  "  but 
nothing  —  not  a  rood  of  barren  heath  or  rock  —  to  un- 
founded claims." 

Commissioners  of  the  two  states  were  appointed,  and  in 
June  they  arrived  in  Washington.  Negotiations  were  at 
once  commenced,  and  a  treaty  was  concluded.  The  United 
States  obtained  the  navigation  of  the  St.  John's  River  to 
its  mouth,  and  the  very  important  military  position.  Rouse's 
Point,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Champlain.  Great  Britain 
received,  in  exchange,  a  small  territory  of  swamps,  heath, 
and  rocks,  and  barren  mountains,  covered  with  snow  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  —  a  territory  valuable  only  be- 
cause it  enabled  her  to  make  a  direct  road  from  the  province 
of  New  Brunswick  to  the  St.  Lawrence. 

On  the  ITth  of  September,  1842,  the  whigs  of  Massa- 
chusetts held  a  convention  of  delegates  in  Boston  for  tlie 
purpose  of  selecting  candidates  for  the  state  offices.  This 
body  adopted  several  resolutions,  one  of  which,  after  re- 
citing the  offences  of  President  Tyler  against  the  whig 
party,  concluded  thus :  "  That  by  these  acts,  through  which 
he  has  compelled  the  whigs  to  leave  the  country  suffer- 
ing under  the  evils  inflicted  upon  it  by  his  predecessor 
56 


442  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

in  office,  he  has  left  no  alternative  to  the  whigs  of  Massa- 
chusetts hut  to  declare,  as  they  do  now  declare,  their  full 
and  final  separation  from  him."  On  the  30th  of  Septem- 
ber, Mr.  Webster  addressed  the  people  in  Faneuil  Hall 
on  the  questions  of  the  day,  and  particularly  with  ref- 
erence to  his  own  relations  to  the  country  and  the  party 
to  which  he  belonged.  In  a  plain,  perspicuous  manner, 
he  rebuked  the  whig  policy,  and  exposed  the  folly  of  widen- 
ing the  breach  between  Congress  and  the  president.  Such 
a  rebuke  was  deserved ;  for,  in  direct  disregard  of  Mr. 
Webster's  claims,  the  convention  of  the  17th  of  Septem- 
ber had  committed  the  whig  party  of  the  state  to  the 
nomination  of  Mr.  Clay  by  the  next  national  convention. 
Mr.  Clay's  friends  could  now  say  that  the  whigs  of  Massa- 
chusetts had  decided  against  Mr.  Webster,  and  thus  laid 
the  foundation  for  an  opposition  to  Mr.  Webster  in  the  ranks 
of  his  own  party. 

In  January,  1843,  the  Hon.  Marcus  Morton  again  took 
his  seat  as  governor  of  the  commonwealth.  On  the  8th 
of  May,  Mr.  Webster  resigned  his  office  as  secretary  of  state. 
The  relations  which  had  sprung  up  between  President  Tyler 
and  some  members  of  the  democratic  party,  from  the  con- 
tinued assaults  made  by  him  upon  the  whigs,  had  come 
to  render  Mr.  Webster's  position  in  the  cabinet  distaste- 
ful. Scarcely  had  Mr.  Webster  sought  retirement  in  his 
home  in  Marshfield,  when  the  whigs  began  to  see  that 
they  had  made  a  great  political  mistake  in  giving  the 
voice  of  the  party  in  Massachusetts  to  Mr.  Clay  as  their 
candidate  for  the  presidency,  in  advance  of  the  assem- 
bling of  a  national  convention.  A  large  majority  of  the 
party  were  anxious  to  have  Mr.  Webster  reappear  upon 
the   political   stage  ;   and  in   accordance   with   such  a  wish, 


THE  GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPIAION.  443 

they   requested   him    to   be   present   at   a   uhig   convention 
that  Mas  to  be  held  at  Audover  on   the  9th  of  November. 

At  the  appointed  time  the  convention  met,  and  Mr. 
Webster  was  on  hand,  ready  to  vindicate  his  personal  title 
to  be  regarded  as  a  whig.  In  the  course  of  his  speech 
at  Andover  Mr.  Webster  remarked,  "  Gentlemen,  I  thought 
I  saw  an  opportunity  of  doing  the  state  some  service,  and 
I  ran  the  risk  of  the  undertaking.  I  certainly  do  not  regret 
it,  and  never  shall  regret  it.  And  it  is  in  no  spiiit  of 
boasting  or  vainglory,  it  is  from  no  undue  feeling  of  self- 
respect,  that  I  say  now,  that  I  am  ready  to  leave  it  to 
the  public  judgment  to  decide  whether  my  remaining  in 
the  cabinet  was  best  for  the  country,  or,  on  the  other  hand, 
whether  my  leaving  it  would  have  been  better  for  the 
country.  On  this  question  I  am  in  the  judgment  of  this 
generation  and  the  next  generation,  and  am  willing  that 
my  name,  and  fame,  and  character  shall  abide  the   result." 

In  the  fall  election  of  this  year  George  X.  Briggs  was 
chosen  governor  of  Massachusetts  by  the  then  dominant 
party  —  the  whigs.  Xever  went  a  citizen  of  a  free  and 
prosperous  commonwealth  up  from  his  coveted  retirement 
to  an  uncoveted  seat  of  authority,  with  less  ambition  for 
self-aggrandizement  and  larger  aspirations  for  the  popular 
weal,  than  did  he  in  obeying  the  voice  of  Massachusetts, 
bidding  him  administer  her  laws,  and  preside  over  her 
material  and  moral  interests.  Governor  Briggs  was  ush- 
ered into  office  in  January,  1844.  Of  his  official  messages 
and  acts,  during  his  first  term,  there  were  none  requuing 
special  note. 

In  August  of  this  year  was  celebrated  the  "  Berkshire 
Jubilee."  It  was  a  reunion  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
that    most    beautiful   region,  —  the   Piedmont   of    America, 


444  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

—  a  region  where  hill  and  valley,  lake  and  streamlet, 
alternate  their  charms  with  endless  succession,  and  scarcely 
less  variety.  The  jubilee  was  celebrated  with  song,  and 
speech,  and  sermon.  To  Pittsfield,  poets  and  philosophers, 
and  divines  and  merchant  princes,  brought  their  tribute,  and 
all  the  village  held  high  holida3\  Governor  Briggs  presided 
at  the  festival,  and  made  a  most  felicitous  address.  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  read  a  j^oem  full  of  humor  and  good  cheer, 
and  the  feasting  and  music  were  "  forever  memorable." 

The  election  of  James  K.  Polk  to  the  presidency,  in  the 
autumn  of  1844,  and  the  annexation  of  Texas,  largely  encour- 
aged and  strengthened  the  pro-slavery  party  both  in  the  north 
and  in  the  south.  INIany  members  of  the  whig  party  were 
depressed  in  spirit,  and  began  to  doubt  the  expediency  of 
any  further  contest.  The  sentiment  of  Massachusetts  was 
always  opposed  to  slavery.  True,  this  profession  was  not 
alwa3'-s  directly  expressed  ;  but  then  the  opinion  generally 
prevailed  that  the  anti-slavery  cause  was  one  absolutely 
righteous,  and  that  it  would  eventually  receive  its  vindica- 
tion. Already  it  was  apparent  that  the  general  government 
was  under  the  control  of  slavery,  and  that  the  democratic 
party,  who  alone  Avere  responsible  for  the  administration 
and  its  policy,  would  be  compelled  either  to  sustain  or 
to  dissolve  it.  Thus  it  happened  that  alternatives  were 
left  open  to  the  whig  party,  namely,  to  go  counter  to 
slavery,  make  a  direct  issue,  and  attract  to  its  banner  the 
spirit  of  freedom,  of  progress,  and  of  the  nineteenth  century ; 
or  fall  back  upon  the  ideas  of  the  dark  ages,  and  run  a  race 
with  democracy  for  influence  and  co-operation.  It  was  at 
this  point  that  the  so  called  "  Liberty  party  "  arose,  — a  party 
based  on  the  idea  that  "  any  effective  opposition  to  slavery 
politically   must   come   from   the   disintegration   of   the  old 


rilE  GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  445 

parties,  and  the  combination  of  their  material  into  the  new 
organization." 

Political  strife  mounted  high  at  this  period  ;  and  notwitli- 
standing  that  the  popularity  of  the  governor  was  ahuost 
universal,  the  issue  of  the  election  hung  in  doubt.  When 
it  was  over,  and  the  incumbent  returned  triumphantly  to  his 
chair,  Governor  Briggs  thus  wrote  :  "  The  election  is  over, 
and  for  the  old  Bay  State,  well  over.  Boston  has  outdone 
herself.  With  the  difficulties  she  had  to  encounter,  I  thiidc 
she  has  achieved  a  more  remarkable  victory  than  ever  before. ' 
All  eyes  were  turned  toward  her,  from  Texas  to  the  St. 
John's.  She  is  Boston  still,  and  Massachusetts  is  ^lassachu- 
setts  still.  The  result  shows  a  triumph  of  principle.  In 
this  she  has  covered  herself  with  honor.  Let  justice,  stabil- 
ity, and  truth  be  her  motto,  and  no  matter  how  humble 
those  she  puts  forward,  she  will  prevail."  ^ 

At  the  beginning  of  the  session  of  1846,  Governor  Briggs 
laid  before  the  legislature  certain  resolutions  concerning 
slavery  and  the  action  of  Massachusetts,  which  had  been 
adopted  by  the  state  legislature  of  Georgia.  Henry  Wilson, 
of  Natick,  moved  that  these  resolutions  might  be  referred  to 
a  special  committee,  and  offered  an  order  that  they  "  be 
instructed  to  report  a  preamble  and  resolution  which  should 
express  in  fitting  terms  the  hostility  of  Massachusetts  to  the 
institution  of  slavery."  This  motion  gave  rise  to  great 
excitement  in  the  hall ;  and  the  order  was  vehemently 
opposed  both  by  the  whigs  and  the  democrats.  At  length 
a  compromise,  in  the  shape  of  an  amendment,  was  tendered, 
and  the  committee  were  left  to  act  without  instructions. 

In  defending  the  order  which  he  had  offered,  ^Ir.  Wilson 
affirmed   that    "  wc   must   destroy   slavery,    or   slavery  will 

'  Letter  to  his  son-in-law,  13  Nov.,  18-t5. 


446  '     HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

destroy  liberty.  "We  must  restore  our  government  to  its 
original  and  pristine  purity.  The  contest  is  a  glorious  one. 
Let  us  be  cheered  by  the  fact  that  the  bold  and  daring  effort 
of  the  slave  power  to  arrest  the  progress  of  free  principles 
has  awakened  and  aroused  the  nation.  That  power  has 
won  a  briliant  victor}^  in  the  acquisition  of  Texas  ;  yet  it 
is  only  one  victory,  in  its  long  series,  over  the  constitution 
and  liberties  of  the  country.  Other  fields  are  yet  to  be 
fought ;  and  if  we  are  true  to  the  country,  freedom,  and  to 
humanity,  the  future  has  yet  a  Waterloo  in  store  for  the 
supporters  of  this  unholy  system."  For  himself,  Mr.  V/ilson 
was  ready  to  act  with  any  man  or  party  —  whig,  democrat, 
Abolitionist,  Christian,  or  infidel  —  who  would  go  for  the 
cause  of  emancipation.^ 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  evasive  and  mild,  as 
might  well  have  been  anticipated  ;  and  Mr.  "Wilson  was  com- 
pelled to  make  a  minority  report,  which  created  a  profound 
sensation  in  the  House  and  in  the  Senate.  It  closed  with  the 
declaration,  that  the  experience  of  sixty  years  afforded  ample 
evidence  that  only  by  an  adherence  far  more  stern  than  that 
of  our  fathers  to  the  principles  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  a  use  far  more  vigorous  than  theirs  of  all  the 
powers  of  self-preservation  and  defence,  which  the  constitu- 
tion has  secured  to  the  freemen  of  the  Union,  will  the  Union 
and  our  liberties  be  preserved,  and  with  them  the  hopes  of 
the  race  for  long  years  to  come. 

On  the  11th  of  May,  1845,  Congress  voted  that  "  by  the 
act  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  war  exists  between  that 
government  and  the  United  States."  The  Mexican  war 
was  regarded  by  many,  especially  in  the  Northern  States, 
as  a  great  calamity,  and  the  whigs  openly  declared  that  the 

'  Mann,  Life  of  Wilson,  27. 


THE   GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINIOX.  447 

war  was  really  not  begun  by  ^Mexico,  but  by  General  Taylor. 
Congress  also  voted  ten  million  dollars  for  the  Avar,  and 
resolved  to  raise  fifty  thousand  volunteers.  The  Eastern 
States  furnished  only  a  very  small  force,  for  the  reason  that 
they  cherished  not  much  sympathy  for  the  impending  strug- 
gle. It  was  about  this  time  that  Charles  Sumner,  a  graduate 
of  Harvard  College,  and  a  promising  Boston  lawyer,  was 
lifted  prominently  into  public  notice.  He  had  already  allied 
himself  with  the  champions  of  freedom,  and  like  Garrison, 
and  a  few  others,  had  well  nigh  forfeited  political  caste,  and 
was  branded  as  an  agitator  and  an  abolitionist.  Still,  Mr. 
Sumner  was  no  revolutionist,  and  hoped  to  meet  the  com- 
manding question  of  slavery  on  constitutional  grounds  alone. 
In  the  autumn  of  184G,  he  sharply  criticised  the  course 
of  Robert  0.  Winthrop  in  respect  to  the  Mexican  war. 
"  Through  you,"  he  said,  "  the  Bostonians  have  been  made 
to  declare  an  unjust  and  cowardly  war  with  falsehood  in 
the  cause  of  slavery.  Through  you  they  have  been  made 
partakers  in  the  blockade  of  Vera  Cruz,  in  the  seizure  of 
California,  in  the  capture  of  Santa  Fe,  in  the  bloodslied  of 
Monterey.  It  were  idle  to  suppose  that  the  '^oox  soldier,  or 
officer  only,  is  stained  by  this  guilt.  It  reaches  far  back,  and 
incarnadines  the  halls  of  Congress  ;  nay  more,  through  you 
it  reddens  the  hands  of  your  constituents  in  Boston."  In 
January,  1847,  Mr.  Sumner,  before  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Massachusetts,  argued  against  the  validity  of  enlistments  in 
the  regiment  of  volunteers  raised  by  the  state  for  the  war  ; 
and  on  the  4th  of  February  he  spoke  in  Faneuil  Hall, 
demanding  the  withdrawal  of  the  American  troops  from 
Mexican  soil.  "The  war,"  he  said,  "  is  not  only  unconsti- 
tutional, it  is  unjust;  it  is  vile  in  its  object  and  character.  It 
has  its  oriscin  in  a  well  known  series  of  measures  to  extend 


448  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  perpetuate  slavery.  It  is  a  war  which  must  ever  be 
odious  in  liistory,  beyond  the  common  measure  allotted  to 
the  outrages  of  brutality  which  disfigure  other  nations  and 
times.  It  is  a  slave-driving  war.  In  its  principle,  it  is  only 
a  little  above  those  miserable  conflicts  between  the  barbarian 
chiefs  of  Central  Africa  to  obtain  slaves  for  the  inhuman 
markets  of  Brazil.  Such  a  war  must  be  accursed  in  the  sight 
of  God.     Why  is  it  not  accursed  in  the  sight  of  man  ?  " 

During  these  j-ears  the  cause  of  public  education  was 
steadily  fostered  by  Governor  Briggs,  —  this  partly  from 
its  intrinsic  importance,  and  partly  because  public  attention 
was  at  that  time  strongly  concentrated  upon  it.  On  the 
interesting  occasion  of  the  inauguration  of  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Westfield,  in  the  month  of  September,  1846,  he 
was  the  orator ;  and  his  catholic  mind  grasped  the  great 
theory  of  education,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest  arenas, 
and  made  clear  the  controlling  value  of  the  mainspring  of 
all  its  workings.  In  the  first  report  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion to  the  legislature,  which  he  signed  as  chairman,  the 
principle  which  underlies  the  whole  system  of  common- 
school  education  is  thus  stated  :  — 

"  The  cardinal  principle  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of 
our  educational  system  is,  that  all  the  children  of  the  state 
shall  be  educated  by  the  state.  As  our  republican  govern- 
ment was  founded  upon  the  virtue  and  intelligence  of  the 
people,  it  was  rightly  concluded  by  its  framers,  that  Avithout 
a  wise  educational  system,  the  government  itself  could  not 
exist,  and  in  ordaining  that  the  expenses  of  educating  the 
people  should  be  defrayed  by  the  people  at  large,  without 
reference  to  the  particular  benefit  to  individuals,  it  was 
considered  that  those  who,  perhaps  without  children  of  their 
own,  nevertheless,  would  be  compelled  to  pay   a  large  tax, 


THE  GRO]VTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  449 

would  receive  an  ample  equivalent  in  the  protection  of  their 
persons,  and  the  security  of  their  property."  This  principle 
was  efficiently  carried  out  by  Governor  Briggs  during  the 
whole  course  of  his  administration.  In  giving  a  new  impulse 
to  common  schools,  the  Board  of  Education  relied  chiefly 
upon  the  labors  of  their  secretary,  Horace  Mann,  and  upon 
normal  schools.  To  these  were  soon  added  Teachers'  In- 
stitutes, with  lectures  and  specific  subjects  employed  l)y  the 
state,  and  also  assistants  to  the  secretary,  both  permanent 
and  temporar}',  in  awakening  an  interest  in  the  schools 
throughout  the  state.  Nor  was  the  governor  slow  to  per- 
ceive the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  education  in  its 
higher  forms.  On  the  occasion  of  an  agricultural  fair,  he 
said,  in  an  address,  that  he  "  wanted  to  see  the  time  Avhen 
there  should  be  none  more  intelligent  than  farmers  ;  when 
the  farmers'  boys  should  go  to  Amherst,  or  Cambridge,  or 
Williams,  and  return  to  their  homes  prepared  to  settle  down 
as  intelligent,  useful,  and  happ}-  farmers." 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1845,  commencement  day,  Mr. 
Quincy  resigned  the  presidency  of  Harvard  College.  In 
the  following  3'ear,  the  governor  of  the  commonwealth  in- 
ducted the  Hon.  Edward  Everett  into  the  vacant  office. 
The  address  whicli  the  governor  made  on  this  occasion  is 
worthy  of  being  always  remembered  as  the  chaste,  felicitous 
language  of  one,  who,  without  the  aid  of  learning,  achieved 
honors  and  distinctions  which  any  graduate  of  Harvard 
might  envy.     It  is  here  given  in  full. 

"  Sir  :  You  having  been  dul)-"  elected  president  of  Har- 
vard College,  in  compliance  with  ancient  custom,  and  in 
the  name  of  the  Overseers,  I  do  now  invest  you  with  the 
government  and  authority  of  that  institution,  to  be  exercised 
in  the  same  manner  and  to  the  same  extent  as  has  been 
57 


450  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

heretofore  done  by  3^our  predecessors  in  ofifice.  I  deliver  "to 
you  these  keys,  with  these  books  and  papers,  as  badges  of 
your  authority  ;  confident  that  you  will  exercise  and  admin- 
ister the  same  according  to  the  usages  of  the  institution,  and 
in  obedience  to  the  laws  and  constitution  of  the  common- 
wealth. 

"  Allow  me,  sir,  to  congratulate  you,  and  the  officers  and 
friends  of  this  venerable  university,  upon  the  auspicious  cir- 
cumstances in  which  you  enter  into  office.  Having  filled 
the  most  important  civil  stations  in  your  own  state,  and 
under  the  government  of  the  republic,  with  credit  to  your- 
self, and  with  honor  to  your  country,  30U  have  now  come 
up  to  this  literary  eminence,  at  the  bidding  of  its  authority, 
to  take  charge  of  the  parent  university  of  the  New  World. 
The  entire  unanimity  with  which  you  were  chosen  to  this 
responsible  trust,  bears  testimony  to  the  estimate  in  which 
your  qualifications  were  held  by  those  whose  duty  it  was 
to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  retirement  of  your 
distinguished  predecessor.  A  long  line  of  learned  and  good 
men  have,  by  their  example,  illuminated  the  path  in  which 
you  are  to  walk.  It  does  not  become  me  to  speak  of  the 
duties  you  are  to  perform.  They  are  before  you,  and,  in 
anticipation,  you  know  them  by  heart. 

"  To  influence  the  young  men  of  this  country,  to  enlighten 
their  minds,  make  right  impressions  upon  their  yielding 
hearts,  to  fashion  their  manners,  mould  their  characters,  and 
send  them  forth  into  the  world  qualified  to  act  their  part  in 
society,  and  fulfil  their  destiny  on  earth,  is,  in  my  estimation, 
the  highest  and  noblest  object  to  which  genius,  and  learning, 
and  patriotism,  and  piety  can  be  devoted.  In  early  youth, 
your  Alma  Mater  adorned  you  with  her  brightest  honors, 
and  bade  you  go  forth  into  the  world.     Like  a  dutiful  son, 


THE   GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  451 

you  have  returned  to  render  lier  the  services  of  ripened 
manhood,  and  to  aid  her  in  raising  up  and  sending  out  still 
other  happy  .and  promising  sons. 

*'  More  than  half  a  century  ago,  Edmund  Burke,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  English  and  French  nobility,  said,  '  The  latter  had 
the  advantage  of  the  former,  in  being  surrounded  by  the 
powerful  outguard  of  a  military  education.'  History  has 
shown  how  powerless  that  outguard  was  in  protecting  the 
nobility  of  France,  and  France  herself,  against  the  attacks 
of  an  internal  foe.  It  will  be  your  brightest  purpose,  and 
the  purpose  of  those  who  co-operate  with  you  in  this  ancient 
seat  of  learning,  to  protect  the  youth  committed  to  your 
care,  by  planting  in  the  citadel  of  their  hearts  the  more 
powerful  internal  guard  of  a  Christian  education.  While 
pouring  upon  their  opening  minds  the  light  of  literature 
and  science,  there  will  be  presented  to  them  the  beauties 
of  practical  Christianity,  and  strongl}^  inculcated  upon  their 
moral  nature  the  sublime  doctrines  and  holy  precepts  of  '  Him 
who  spake  as  never  man  spake.'  Here  let  young  men  learn 
that  true  heroism  consists  in  doing  good  ;  that  the  highest 
attainment  of  personal  honor  is  the  forgiveness  of  injuries, 
and  that  God  has  made  greatness  and  goodness  insepar- 
able. 

"  It  only  remains  for  me  to  express  the  great  satisfaction 
which  I  feel  in  being  made  the  organ  of  the  Board  of  Over- 
seers for  inducting  you  into  office  ;  and  I  am  sure,  sir,  that 
I  may  say  for  the  people  of  the  whole  commonwealth,  you 
have  their  confidence  in  advance,  that  by  a  liberal  and  just 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  college,  you  will,  so  far 
as  in  you  lies,  maintain  its  high  reputation,  make  its  benefits 
accessible  to  the  aspirants  after  knowledge  among  all  classes 
of  our  young  men,  and  strengthen   the  public  attachment 


452  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

for  this  institution  of  the  state,  which  was  founded  by  the 
liberality,  the  wisdom,  and  the  prayers  of  our  Puritan 
Fathers." 

On  the  21st  of  February,  1848,  John  Quincy  Adams  was 
seized  with  paralysis  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  at 
Washington,  and  two  days  later  his  spirit  peacefully  de- 
parted. The  gate  of  fear  and  envy  was  now  closed  ;  that 
of  honor  and  fame  had  opened.  Men  of  all  parties  united 
in  paying  just  tributes  to  his  memory ;  and  Avhen  his  remains 
were  borne  to  Massachusetts,  they  were  attended  by  thirty 
members  of  the  House  —  one  from  each  state  in  the  Union. 
They  were  received  in  Boston  by  a  committee  appointed  by 
the  legislature  of  the  state,  and  by  the  municipal  govern- 
ment ;  remained  in  state  in  Faneuil  Hall  for  a  brief  period, 
and  were  then  removed  to  Quincy,  the  birthplace  of  Mr. 
Adams.  The  venerable  statesman  died  in  the  eightieth 
year  of  his  life  —  having  been  born  on  the  11th  of  July, 
1767. 

The  growth  of  Boston  was  so  rapid,  that  what  was  origi- 
nally calculated  to  be  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  for  half 
a  century,  was,  in  a  few  years,  found  to  be  inadequate.  Pre- 
vious to  1848,  the  city  was  dependent  upon  wells  and 
springs,  and  upon  Jamaica  Pond,  in  the  town  of  West  Rox- 
bury.  But  it  soon  appeared  that  the  prospective  wants  of 
the  city  were  far  beyond  the  capacity  of  this  pond  to  supply. 
In  1845  the  difficulty  was  settled  in  favor  of  Lake  Cochituate, 
lying  in  the  towns  of  Natick,  Framingham  and  Wayland. 
In  the  following  year  a  legislative  act  granted  the  use  of 
this  lake,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  Boston  City 
Council  to  carry  the  act  into  execution.  New  surveys  were 
made,  and  an  improved  line  of  aqueduct  was  selected  for 
conveying  the  water.     In  the  same  year  the  work  was  put 


THE   GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  453 

under  conlract,  and  ground  was  broken  on  the  20th  of 
August.  The  water  was  conveyed  through  a  brick  conduit 
from  the  eastern  shore  of  the  hike  to  a  reservoir  lying  in 
the  towns  of  Newton  and  Brookhne.  This  reservoir  is  about 
live  miles  from  the  Boston  City  Hall.  The  length  of  the 
conduit  was  about  fourteen  and  one  half  miles.  From  the 
reservoir  to  Boston,  the  water  was  conveyed  through  two 
iron  pipes  into  a  central  reservoir  on  Beacon  Hill,  near  the 
State  House.  On  the  25th  of  October,  1848,  the  water  was 
introduced  into  the  city.  A  great  procession  was  organized 
on  that  day,  which  marched  through  the  principal  streets  to 
the  Common,  where,  after  prayer  and  singing,  and  appropri- 
ate literary  exercises,  the  water  was  let  on  through  the 
gate  of  the  fountain,  amid  the  shouts  of  the  people,  the  roar 
of  cannon,  the  hiss  of  rockets,  and  the  ringing  of  bells. 

Toward  the   close  of  the  year  1849,  occurred  in  Boston 
one  of  the  foulest  murders  recorded  in  the  annals  of  crime, 

—  the  murder  of  Dr.  George  Parkman  by  Dr.  John  W. 
Webster,  the  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  Harvard  College. 
From  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other  the  public  mind 
was  aroused  to  an  almost  unparalleled  degree.  The  deed 
was  speedily  followed  by  a  trial,  and  a  vindication  of  the 
majest}'-  of  the  law.  After  the  conviction  of  the  prisoner, 
and  after  the  sentence  of  condemnation  to  death  had  been 
pronounced,  the  governor  was  subjected  to  solicitations, 
entreaties,  pleas,  threats,  and  even  offered  bribes,  if  haply 
he  might  be  prevailed  upon  to  commute  the  sentence  pro- 
nounced against  the  criminal.  But  the  executive  of  the 
commonwealth  stood  firm.  The  nation  held  its  breath  with 
a  deep  applause.  The  public  voice  of  this  continent  at 
length   declared   the    sublimity   of    his   more    than    Roman 

—  his   Christian  —  firmness   in  withholding   his   hand    from 


454  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

altering,  by  one  whit,  the  awful  but  just  sentence  of  the 
court. 

In  the  spring  of  1850,  Governor  Briggs  felt  the  cares  of 
state  weighing  heavily  upon  him,  and  the  desire  to  lay  them 
aside  prevailed  with  him  to  decline  a  nomination.  But  the 
electors,  to  whom,  on  the  27th  of  April,  he  declared  his 
intention  of  retiring,  paid  little  heed  to  his  address.  He 
was  again  nominated,  and  at  the  election  he  was  defeated,  — 
not,  however,  by  the  direct  vote  of  the  people,  but  by  the 
legislature,  into  which  the  election  was  thrown.  At  the 
opening  of  the  legislative  session  in  1851,  Governor  Briggs 
resigned  the  office  which  he  had  filled  with  success  and 
honor  for  seven  years,  and  extended  his  greeting  to  the 
newly  elected  incumbent  of  the  chair  of  state. 

The  public  life  of  Governor  Briggs  was  cast  in  a  rare 
model,  and  his  character  will  always  be  numbered  with  the 
jewels  of  the  old  commonwealth.  An  anecdote,  illustrating 
his  independence  of  character,  may  fittingly  close  the  present 
chapter.  A  gentleman  of  Boston  called  upon  His  Excel- 
lency one  evening,  and  remarked,  — 

"  Governor,  a  few  evenings  since,  among  our  friends,  a 
matter  came  up  in  which  you  were  mentioned  ;  but  as  it 
was  personal,  I  am  not  sure  that  I  do  right  to  speak  of  it." 

"  O,  speak  out,  speak  out,"  said  the  governor. 

"  Well,  then,  our  friends  agreed  that  for  one  who  occupies 
60  honorable  and  dignified  a  position  as  governor  of  the 
state,  you  attend  too  many  temperance  conventions,  and 
make  too  many  temperance  speeches.  They  think  it  is  not 
exactly  the  thing  for  a  governor  to  do." 

"  When  you  see  those  friends  on  your  return,"  replied 
the  governor,  "  give  them  my  best  respects,  and  sa}'  to 
them,  that  in  my  opinion,   to  attend   temperance  meetings 


THE  GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION.  455 

and  conventions,  and  make  temperance  speeches,  is  not 
only  the  most  dignified,  but  the  most  honorable,  as  well  as 
most  useful  employment  the  people  of  Massachusetts  can 
put  their  governor  to  ;  and  that  while  I  am  governor  I  shall 
continue  at  this  business." 


456  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 
THE    SLAVERY    AGITATION. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1848,  a  democratic  convention  met 
at  Baltimore  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  the  presidency. 
Two  sets  of  delegates  appeared  from  New  York,  Loth  claim- 
ing to  be  the  true  representatives  of  the  democracy  of  that 
state.  No  compromise  could  reconcile  the  parties,  and  the 
convention  solved  the  difficulty  by  excluding  both  from 
its  deliberations.  It  then  proceeded  to  nominate  Senator 
Lewis  Cass,  of  Michigan,  for  president,  and  General  William 
O.  Butler,  of  Kentucky,  for  vice  president.  The  delegates 
representing  the  v/hig  party,  and  those  opposed  to  the  meas- 
ures of  the  administration,  met  at  Philadelphia,  and  nomi- 
nated General  Zachary  Taylor  for  president,  and  Millard 
Fillmore,  of  New  York,  for  vice  president.  One  portion 
of  the  New  York  democracy  accepted  the  nominations  of 
the  Baltimore  convention ;  another  portion  rejected  them. 
The  latter  called  a  convention  at  Baltimore,  adopted  a  plat- 
form in  favor  of  "  Free  Soil,"  and  nominated  ex-president 
Van  Buren  for  the  presidency,  and  Charles  Francis  Adams, 
son  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  for  the  vice  presidency.  After 
a  spirited  canvass,  the  candidates  of  the  whig  party  were 
elected  ;  and  on  the  4th  of  March,  1849,  the  new  president 
was  inducted  into  office. 

The  death  of  John  Quincy  Adams  created  a  vacancy  in  the 
eighth  Congressional  District  of  Massachusetts.     Mr.  Wilson 


THE  SLA  VERY  A  GIT  A  TION.  457 

•was  ahead  of  any  other  candidate  for  his  succession,  and 
Mr.  Horace  ]\Iann  Avas  his  only  opposing  candidate.  Wil- 
son's strength  AA'as  so  great  that  he  was  chosen  to  rep- 
resent the  district  in  the  national  Avhig  convention,  then 
about  to  assemble  at  Philadelphia  to  nominate  General  Tay- 
lor for  the  presidency.  Taylor  \vas  elected,  but  survived 
only  a  little  more  than  a  j-ear  afterwards,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Fillmore.  ^Ir.  Wilson  Avent  to  the  convention, 
■with  the  intention  of  having  incorporated  in  the  platform 
the  first  fundamental  republican  principle,  in  a  form  as 
strong,  at  least,  as  the  Wilmot  Proviso,  which  proposed  that 
slavery  should  be  prohibited  in  all  territory  obtained  by 
treat}-.  But  the  convention  refused  to  concede  anything 
to  the  anti-slavery  sentiment  of  the  party.  Henry  "Wilson 
and  Charles  Allen,  therefore,  bolted,  and  a  wild  uproar 
in  the  convention  was  the  result.  A  delegate  from  Xorth 
Carolina  remarked  that  the  gentlemen  were  "  injuring  no 
one  but  themselves."  A  few  days  later,  Wilson  published 
an  open  defence  of  his  course.  "  Bitter  denunciations," 
said  he,  "  have  already  been  heaped  upon  me ;  yet  I  see 
nothing  to  retract.  No  hope  of  political  reward,  no  fear 
of  ridicule  or  denunciation,  will  deter  me  from  acting  up 
to  my  convictions  of  duty  in  resisting  the  extension  of 
slavery,  and  the  arrogant  demands  of  the  slave  power." 

The  "  Free  Soil  "  party,  whose  leading  policy  was  free 
soil,  free  labor,  free  speech,  free  men,  and  opposition  to 
the  extension  of  slavery  and  of  the  slave-holding  power, 
taking  the  place  of  the  old  Liberty  party,  was  now  formed. 
In  ^Massachusetts,  conventions,  mass  meetings,  school-district 
gatherings,  speeches,  consultations,  and  appeals  in  writing, 
were  the  order  of  the  day.  In  the  course  of  events,  the 
whig  party,  having  lost  its  vital  principle,  became  a  mere 
58 


458  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

faction,  and  gradually  went  out  of  existence  as  a  political 
power.  The  solidity  of  the  democratic  i^arty  was  also 
broken.  In  the  ranks  of  this  party  Avere  a  few  men  of 
liberal  views,  progressive  ideas,  and  fine  abilities,  promi- 
nent among  whom  were  Nathaniel  P.  Banks  and  George 
S.  Boutwell.  To  these  men  was  suggested  the  feasibility 
of  united  operations  between  their  two  parties.  INIr.  Banks 
feared  that  any  such  arrangement  would  be  misconstrued 
and  misrepresented,  and,  finally,  defeated  ;  although  Mr. 
Boutwell  was  more  cautious,  he,  too,  thought  that  the  ex- 
periment could  not  succeed.  Shortly  afterward,  however, 
the  idea  began  to  take  with  the  leading  men  of  both  the 
free  soil  and  democratic  parties,  and  finally  developed  into 
what  was  termed  the  "  Coalition,"  and  proved  successful. 

The  plan  agreed  upon  was  this :  To  run  separate  can- 
didates for  governor,  and  "  unite  on  members  of  the  legis- 
lature in  towns  where  the  two  parties,  by  combining,  could 
elect  their  men.  As  it  required  a  majority  vote  to  elect 
the  governor,  there  would  be  no  choice  by  the  people,  and 
the  legislature  would  choose  the  governor.  It  was  under- 
stood from  the  start  that  the  free  soil  party  wanted  the 
United  States  senator,  and  would  luiite  for  nothing  else ; 
and  it  was  further  understood  that  they  wanted  Charles 
Sumner."  ^ 

When  the  time  for  the  gubernatorial  election  arrived, 
in  the  autumn  of  1850,  the  democrats  voted  for  George 
S.  Boutwell,  an  intrepid  debater,  who  had  won  fame  in  the 
House.  The  whig  candidate,  as  has  been  previously  stated, 
was  he  who  had  already  filled  the  station  for  seven  years,  — 
Governor  Briggs.  There  was  no  choice ;  and  hence  the 
matter  went   to   the   legislature,  where,  by  the   aid  of  the 

'  Mann,  33. 


THE  SLAVERY  AG  IT ATIOX.  459 

free  soil  members,  Mr.  Bout  well  was  elected  governor. 
Mr.  Wilson  was  chosen  president  of  the  senate,  and  Mr. 
Banks  speaker  of  the  House. 

One  of  the  earliest  acts  of  Mr.  Fillmore,  after  havhig 
assumed  executive  power,  was  to  sign  the  infamous  "  Fugi- 
tive Slave  Bill."  The  spirit  of  the  north  was  aroused,  and 
indignation  came  rolling  like  a  pent-up '  torrent  that  had 
broken  through  the  dam.  A  convention  of  the  free  soil 
party  was  held  at  Boston  on  the  3d  of  October,  1850, 
before  which  Mr.  Sumner,  being  present,  fearlessly  de- 
nounced the  iniquity  of  the  bill.  '•  I  would  not  exagger- 
ate," said  the  speaker  ;  '•  I  wish  to  keep  within  bounds ; 
but  I  think  no  person  can  doubt  that  the  condemnation 
now  affixed  to  all  these  transactions,  and  to  their  authors, 
must  be  the  lot  hereafter  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill,  and 
of  every  one,  according  to  the  measure  of  his  influence, 
who  gave  it  his  support.  Into  the  immortal  catalogue  of 
national  crimes  this  has  now  passed,  drawing  after  it,  by 
an  inexorable  necessity,  its  authors  also,  and  chiefly  him, 
who,  as  president  of  the  United  States,  set  his  name  to 
the  bill,  and  breathed  into  it  that  final  breath  without 
which  it  would  have  no  life.  Other  presidents  may  be 
forgotten  ;  but  the  name  signed  to  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill 
can  never  be  forgotten.  There  are  depths  of  infamy,  as 
there  are  heights  of  fame.  I  regret  to  say  what  I  must ; 
but  truth  compels  me.  Better  for  him  had  he  never  been 
born  !  .  .  .  I  will  not  dishonor  the  home  of  the  Pilgrims 
and  of  the  revolution  by  admitting,  nay,  I  cannot  believe 
—  that  this  bill  will  be  executed  here.  Individuals  among 
us,  as  elsewhere,  may  forget  humanity  in  a  fancied  loyalty 
to  law,  but  the  public  conscience  will  not  allow  a  man, 
who   has   trodden   our  streets  as  a  freeman,  to  be   dragged 


460  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

away  as  a  slave.  By  his  escape  from  bondage,  he  has 
shown  that  true  manhood,  which  must  grapple  to  him  every 
honest  heart.  He  may  be  ignorant  and  rude,  as  he  is 
poor ;  but  he  is  of  a  true  nobility.  The  fugitive  slaves 
of  the  United  States  are  among  the  heroes  of  our  age." 
"  "We  demand,  first  and  foremost,"  he  continued,  "  the 
instant  repeal  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law.  We  demand  the 
abolition  of  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  We  de- 
mand the  exercise  by  Congress,  in  all  territories,  of  the 
time-honored  power  to  proliibit  slavery.  We  demand  of 
Congress  to  refuse  to  receive  into  the  Union  any  new  slave 
state.  We  demand  the  abolition  of  the  domestic  slave  trade, 
so  far  as  it  can  be  constitutionally  reached,  but  particu- 
larly on  the  high  seas,  under  the  national  flag.  And,  gen- 
erally, we  demand  from  the  federal  government  the  exercise 
of  all  its  constitutional  power  to  relieve  itself  from  the 
responsibility  for  slavery.  And  yet  one  thing  further  must 
be  done ;  the  slave  power  must  be  overturned,  so  that  the 
federal  government  ma}^  be  put  openly,  actively,  and  per- 
petually on  the  side  of  freedom."  Faneuil  Hall  never  rang 
with  more  impassioned  eloquence  than  this. 

In  the  following  January,  Charles  Sumner  was  nominated 
for  senator  by  the  free  soil  party,  and  was  presented  for 
the  suffrages  of  the  democratic  members  of  the  legislature. 
But  Charles  Sumner  was  an  abolitionist,  and  the  demo- 
cratic party,  as  a  national  organization,  was  under  control 
of  the  slave  power.  When  the  time  for  election  came  on, 
the  coalition,  which  had  succeeded  in  electing  Mr.  Bout- 
well  for  chief  magistrate,  was  not  strong  enough  to  elect 
Mr.  Sumner  for  senator,  without  some  opposition.  The 
opponent  of  Mr.  Sumner  was  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  the  whig 
candidate.     On  the   16th   of  January,  1851,   the   long   and 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  461 

bitter  contest  began.  As  yet,  Mr.  Sumner  had  never  held 
any  political  office,  while  Mr.  Winthrop,  who  was  an  inti- 
mate friend  of  Daniel  Webster,  had  had  large  experience  in 
public  affairs.  Nevertheless  Mr.  Sumner  was  a  recognized 
orator,  an  accomplished  statesman,  and,  although  somewhat 
of  an  idealist,  he  showed  the  qualities  necessar}-  to  discuss 
constitutional  questions  from  the  highest  standpoint.  Ballot 
after  ballot,  and  innumerable  consultations  were  held.  The 
days  and  the  M-eeks  went  by,  and  there  was  no  choice. 
When  the  members  of  the  legislature  had  grown  weary 
of  voting,  and  there  were  hints  among  the  free  soil  men 
that  the  case  was  hopeless,  and  Sumner  was  out  of  the 
question,  the  democrats  said,  that  if  the  name  of  Sumner 
could  be  withdrawn  and  that  of  Wilson  substituted,  there 
should  be  a  speedy  election.  Mr.  Wilson  declined  such  an 
offer,  and  insisted  that  not  a  man  should  think  of  voting  for 
any  one  but  Sumner.  He  added,  that  the  "  coalition  was  not 
formed  for  his  personal  benefit,  nor  for  George  S.  Bout  well's ; 
it  was  formed  to  give  Massachusetts  a  state  government  not 
under  the  control  of  poweifnl  corporations,  and  a  senator 
who  could  wake  up  the  echoes  of  freedom  in  the  Capitol 
of  the  nation  ;  and  they  must  keep  voting  till  doomsday, 
if  need  be,  to  accomplish  this  result." 

On  the  twenty-sitxh  ballot,  which  took  place  on  the  24th 
of  April,  one  democrat  changed  ;  and  Charles  Sumner  was 
elected  for  six  years,  from  the  4th  of  March  following,  as 
the  successor  of  Mr.  Webster  in  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States.  The  democrat.  Captain  Israel  Haynes  of  Sudbury, 
who  voted  for  Mr,  Sumner,  did  so,  as  he  affirmed,  "  on 
principle,  and  because  he  believed  him  to  be  the  better 
man."  In  his  letter  of  acceptance,  Mr.  Sumner  thus  wrote  : 
"Acknowledging   the   right   of  my  country  to    the    service 


462  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  her  sons,  wherever  she  chooses  to  place  them,  and  with 
a  heart  full  of  gratitude  that  a  sacred  cause  has  been  per- 
mitted to  triumph  through  me,  I  now  accept  the  post 
as  senator.  I  accept  it  as  the  servant  of  Massachusetts ; 
mindful  of  the  sentiments  uttered  by  her  successive  legis- 
latures, of  the  genius  which  inspires  her  history,  and  of 
the  men,  her  perpetual  pride  and  ornament,  who  breathed 
into  her  that  breath  of  liberty  which  early  made  her  an  ex- 
ample to  her  sister  states.  In  such  a  service,  the  way, 
though  new  to  my  footsteps,  will  be  illumined  by  lights 
which  cannot  be  missed.  .  .  .  Let  me  borrow,  in  conclu- 
sion, the  language  of  another :  '  I  see  my  dut}^,  —  that  of 
standing  up  for  the  liberties  of  my  country ;  and,  what- 
ever difficulties  and  discouragements  lie  in  my  way,  I  dare 
not  shrink  from  it ;  and  I  rely  on  that  Being,  who  has 
not  left  us  the  choice  of  duties,  that,  wJiilst  I  shall  con- 
scientiously discharge  mine,  I  shall  not  finally  lose  my 
reward.'  These  are  the  words  of  Washington,  uttered 
in  the  early  darkness  of  the  American  revolution.  The 
rule  of  duty  is  the  same  for  the  lowly  and  the  great ;  and 
I  hope  it  may  not  seem  presumptuous  in  one  so  humble 
as  myself  to  adopt  his  determination,  and  to  avow  his 
confidence."  ^ 

The  election  of  Charles  Sumner  was  the  most  memorable 
contest  for  the  senatorship  that  any  state  in  the  Union 
had  ever  witnessed,  whether  there  be  taken  into  consid- 
eration the  state  of  parties  and  their  relations  to  each 
other,  the  long  severity  of  the  contest,  the  even  balance 
of  ballotings,  or  the  tremendous  results  that  have  ensued. 
Massachusetts  had  found  her  man,  and  he  was  the  right 
man  in  the  right  place. 

'  Letter  of  May  14,  1851. 


THE  SLAVERY  ACITATIOX.  463 

On  the  3d  of  April  of  this  year,  Thomas  Sims,  a  fugi- 
tive slave,  was  arrested  in  Boston,  and  after  a  hurried 
and  summary  examination  before  the  commissioner,  George 
Ticknor  Curtis,  he  was  given  up  to  his  pursuers.  The  poor 
slave  youth  begged  of  his  counsel  one  favor.  "  Give  me 
a  knife,"  said  he,  "  and,  when  the  commissioner  declares 
me  a  slave,  I  will  stab  myself  to  the  heart,  and  die 
before  his  eyes.  I  will  not  be  a  slave  !  "  About  mid- 
night, the  mayor  of  Boston,  attended  by  his  marshal,  and 
by  two  or  three  hundred  policemen,  all  heavily  armed, 
placed  Sims  on  board  "  The  Acorn,"  and  sent  him  again 
into  bondage.  "  And  this,"  exclaimed  the  negro,  "  is  Massa- 
chusetts liberty  !  "  He  spoke  these  words  on  the  memo- 
rable 19th  of  April. 

In  the  spring  of  1852,  Louis  Kossuth,  governor  of  Hun- 
gar}-,  visited  INIassachusetts.  In  April,  he  arrived  first  at 
Springfield,  where  he  made  a  speech.  After  stopping  for 
a  brief  season  at  Northampton,  "Worcester,  and  other  towns 
on  his  route,  he  reached  Boston  on  the  2Tth.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  he  visited  the  State  House  to  pay  his  respects 
to  the  governor,  and  then  made  short  addresses  both  in 
the  Senate  and  in  the  House.  During  his  sojourn  in  the 
commonwealth,  Kossuth  made  two  eloquent  speeches  in 
Faneuil  Hall,  and  made  short  excursions  to  the  leading 
towns  and  cities  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  On  the  18th 
of  INIay  he  departed  from  Massachusetts,  and  repaired  to 
Albany.  Tlie  parting  scene  was  no  matter  of  mere  cere- 
mony, but  showed  that  during  his  brief  sojourn  in  the  state 
Kossuth  had  won  a  place  in  the  very  heart  of  hearts  of  the 
best  of  her  citizens. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  same  year,  Daniel  Webster  left 
Washington,    and   retired   to    Marshfield.      His    health   was 


464  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

fast  cleclining,  and  a  hurried  visit  to  his  old  physician  in 
Boston  brought  him  no  relief.  On  the  24th  of  October, 
after  having  executed  his  will,  and  surrounded  b}-  his  family 
and  most  intimate  friends,  Mr.  Webster  uttered  those  well- 
known  words,  "  I  still  live !  "  and  a  few  hours  later,  his 
spirit  passed  away.  Such  was  the  end  of  one  who,  if  he 
had  not  lived  as  a  conqueror,  had  lived  as  a  king  of  men, 
in  all  that  realm  of  intellectual  power  which  governs  the 
affairs  of  nations. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1852,  the  free  soil  party  in 
Massachusetts  held  a  state  convention  at  Lowell.  Mr.  Sum- 
ner was  present,  and  spoke  on  the  necessity  of  that  or- 
ganization. "  The  rising  public  opinion  against  slavery," 
he  said,  "  cannot  now  flow  in  the  old  political  channels. 
It  is  strangled,  clogged,  and  dammed  back.  But,  if  not 
through  the  old  parties,  then  over  the  old  parties,  this  irre- 
sistible current  shall  find  its  way.  It  cannot  be  perma- 
nently stopped.  If  the  old  parties  will  not  become  its 
organ,  they  must  become  its  victim.  The  party  of  free- 
dom will  certainly  prevail.  It  may  be  by  entering  into, 
and  possessing  one  of  the  old  parties,  filling  it  with  our 
strong  life,  or  it  may  be  by  drawing  from  both  to  itself 
the  good  and  true,  who  are  unwilling  to  continue  mem- 
bers of  any  political  combination  when  it  ceases  to  rep- 
resent their  convictions.  But  in  one  way  or  the  other, 
its  ultimate  triumph  is  sure  :  of  this  let  no  man  doubt." 

In  January,  1853,  John  H.  Clifford  took  his  seat  as  gov- 
ernor of  Massachusetts.  The  election,  which  took  place 
in  the  preceding  November,  had  resulted  in  no  choice  by 
the  people,  and  the  contest  was  therefore  carried  into  the 
legislature.  The  General  Court  opened  on  the  5th  of  Jan- 
uary, and   was   prorogued   on   the    25th   of  May.     At   this 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  4G5 

session,  four  huiulied  and  twenty-two  acts  and  ninety-nine 
resolves  were  passed.  Thirty-one  new  companies  were  in- 
corporated for  manufacturing  purposes  ;  sixteen  banks  were 
incorporated,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  four  million  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars ;  also  sixteen  insurance  companies, 
six  savings  banks,  and  sixteen  gas-light  companies. 

On  the  2d  of  February,  the  House  of  Representatives 
proceeded  to  the  choice,  on  the  part  of  that  body,  of  a 
Senator  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  to  succeed 
the  Hon.  John  Davis,  of  Worcester.  Hon.  Edward  Everett 
was  chosen.  On  the  following  day  the  Senate  voted 
with  the  same  result.  On  the  4th  of  March,  Mr.  Everett 
took  his  seat  at  the  session  specially  called  by  President 
Pierce. 

On  the  26th  of  April  the  House  voted  to  substitute 
for  the  report  of  a  committee,  that  it  was  inexpedient  to 
legislate  on  the  subject  of  a  ten-hour  law,  a  bill  pro- 
viding that,  after  October  1,  1853,  no  person  should  be 
employed  in  laboring  in  any  manufacturing  or  mechanical 
emploj^ment,  by  or  for  any  company  incorporated  by  or  under 
the  laws  of  the  commonwealth,  more  than  twelve  hours; 
after  April  1,  1854,  more  than  eleven  hours ;  and  after 
October  1,  1854,  more  than  ten  hours, — except  in  running 
railroad  trains  or  steamboats,  in  making  the  repairs  neces- 
sary to  prevent  the  stoppage  or  interruption  of  the  ordinary 
runuing  of  engines,  mills,  machinery,  railroad  trains,  steam- 
boats, and  mail  stage  coaches,  or  in  doing  labor  of  necessity 
or  charity.  On  the  17th  of  ^lay,  the  bill  was  passed  to 
be  engrossed.  In  the  Senate,  three  days  later,  a  substi- 
tute bill  was  reported,  simply  defining  a  day's  lal)or  as 
ten  hours,  in  the  absence  of  any  special  agreement,  which 
was  passed  by  that  branch.  The  House  refused  to  concur 
59 


466  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

in  adopting  this  substitute,  and,  no  committee  of  confer- 
ence being  appointed,  the  matter  thus  dropped. 

In  1851,  the  General  Court  passed  an  act  calling  a  third 
convention  to  revise  the  state  constitution.  The  act  was 
submitted  to  the  people,  and  a  majority  voted  against  it. 
On  the  7th  of  May,  1852,  another  act  was  passed,  calling 
upon  the  people  to  vote  upon  the  question  of  calling  a 
constitutional  convention.  It,  too,  was  submitted  to  the 
people,  and  a  majority  having  voted  in  favor  of  the  pro- 
posed convention,  an  election  for  delegates  thereto  took 
place  in  March,  1853.  On  the  4th  of  May,  the  conven- 
tion met  in  the  State  House  in  Boston,  and  organized  by 
choosing  Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  Jr.,  for  president,  and  Wil- 
liam S.  Robinson  and  James  T.  Robinson  for  secretaries. 
The  convention  was  composed  of  men  of  eminent  ability, 
embracing  members  of  all  the  leading  professions  and  occu- 
pations of  life. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  Henry  Wilson,  as  chairman  of  the 
committee  to  provide  the  order  of  business,  brought  for- 
ward a  report  of  this  committee  in  favor  of  making  single 
senatorial  districts  on  the  basis  of  population,  taking  the 
ground  that  there  was  no  reason  why  Lowell  should  be 
cut  down  in  the  basis  because  of  its  ten  thousand  women, 
or  Boston  because  of  its  fifty  thousand  Irishmen  and  Ger- 
mans. "  Upon  political  questions,"  such  are  the  words 
of  the  report,  "  there  may  be  differences  of  opinion  ;  but 
upon  nineteen  twentieths  of  the  questions  that  come  be- 
fore the  legislature,  your  women,  your  foreign  population, 
and  your  persons  who  cannot  vote,  have  a  deep  and  abiding 
personal  interest."  Said  Mr.  Wilson,  in  the  debate,  "  I  am 
not  one  of  those  who  expect  to  advocate  the  right  of  women 
to   vote.     But  one   thing  is  certain  ;   I  could   not  make  an 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  467 

argument  against  it,  and  I  would  like  to  see  the  man 
who  could  make  such  an  argument.  And  I  go  farther ; 
I  believe  that,  upon  most  of  the  questions  that  concern 
this  commonwealth  and  this  country,  they  have  their  in- 
fluence ;  and  if  they  had  also  the  right  to  vote,  the  country 
would  be  none  the  worse  governed.  The  foreign  popu- 
lation is  engaged  in  the  business  affairs  of  life,  in  our 
churches  and  our  schools,  in  the  various  pursuits  of  social 
life,  and  in  everything  that  is  consistent  with  the  duties 
of  citizens;  and  they  influence  the  opinions  of  their  neigh- 
bors and  friends." 

On  the  27th  of  jNIay,  there  was  a  long  debate  on  the  ques- 
tion of  changing  elections  from  the  majority  system  to  a 
plurality  ;  and  on  the  following  day,  the  question  of  making 
aliens  ineligible  to  the  office  of  governor  came  up.  Said 
Mr.  Wilson,  "  I  see  no  necessity  of  putting  these  words, 
'  citizens  of  the  United  States,'  into  the  constitution.  I  am 
content  that  a  citizen  of  Massachusetts  shall  be  governor 
of  Massachusetts,  if  the  people  choose  to  make  him  so. 
According  to  my  understanding  of  the  constitution,  a  man 
who  is  not  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  State  or  the  Union 
could  be  elected  governor  of  this  commonwealth  to-day.  I 
care  nothing  about  the  place  where  a  man  was  born  ;  I  do 
not  wish  to  bring  the  question  into  this  discussion,  and  I 
do  not  like  to  have  such  words  as  '  foreign  born  '  incorpo- 
rated in  the  constitution." 

On  the  20th,  21st,  and  22d  of  June,  there  was  a  long 
debate  on  the  powers  of  the  state  over  the  militia.  At  this 
time  there  was  a  strong  prejudice  against  the  colored  race, 
which,  till  now,  effectually  excluded  them  from  becoming 
members  of  the  independent  military  organizations.  In 
opposition  to  conservative  opinions,  Mr.  Sumner  said,  '*  Mas- 


468  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

sachusetts  may  proudly  declare  that,  in  her  own  volunteer 
military  companies,  marshalled  under  her  own  local  laws, 
there  shall  be  no  distinction  of  color  or  race."  Mr.  Wilson, 
proposed  a  resolve,  "  that  no  distinction  shall  ever  be  made 
in  the  organization  of  the  volunteer  militia  of  this  common- 
wealth on  account  of  color  or  race."  This  proposition  was 
warmly  opposed  by  the  democrats,  and  assailed  as  being  in 
violation  of  the  spirit  and  letter  of  the  laws  and  constitution 
of  the  United  States.  In  support  of  the  resolution,  it  was 
truly  said,  "  The  first  victim  of  the  Boston  Massacre,  on 
the  5th  of  March,  1770,  which  made  the  fires  of  resistance 
burn  more  intensely,  was  a  colored  man.  Hundreds  of 
colored  men  entered  the  ranks,  and  fought  bravely  in  the 
revolution.  Graydon,  in  his  Memoirs,  informs  us  that  many 
southern  officers  disliked  the  New  England  regiments  be- 
cause so  many  colored  men  were  in  their  ranks.  At  Red 
Bank  they  received  the  commendation  of  the  commander 
for  gallant  conduct.  A  colored  battalion  was  organized  for 
the  defence  of  New  Orleans ;  and  General  Jackson  publicly 
thanked  them  for  courage  and  conduct.  When  the  country 
has  required  their  blood  in  days  of  conflict  and  trial,  they 
have  given  it  freely,  and  we  have  accepted ;  but  in  times 
of  peace,  when  their  blood  is  not  needed,  we  spurn  and 
trample  them  under  foot.  I  have  no  part  in  this  great 
wrong  to  a  race.  Whenever  and  wherever  we  have  the 
power  to  do  it,  I  would  give  to  all  men,  of  every  clime  and 
race,  of  every  creed  and  faith,  freedom  and  equality  before 
the  law.  My  voice  and  my  vote  shall  ever  be  given  for 
the  equality  of  all  the  children  of  men  before  the  laws  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  and  the  United  States." 
On  the  1st  of  August,  the  convention  agreed  to  a  form 
of  constitution,   and  was  dissolved,   after  having  provided 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  469 

for  submitting  the  same  to  the  people,  and  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  meet  to  count  the  votes,  and  to  make  a  return 
thereof  to  the  General  Court.  The  committee  met  at  the 
time  and  place  agreed  upon,  and  found  that  the  proposed 
constitution  had  been  rejected. 

In  the  state  election  of  this  year,  the  Hon.  Emorv  Wash- 
burn, of  Worcester,  was  chosen  bj-  the  whigs  for  governor 
of  Massachusetts.  On  the  4ili  of  January,  1834,  the  new- 
session  of  the  General  Court  was  begun;  and  on  the  12th, 
the  oath  of  office  was  administered  to  the  governor  elect. 
At  this  session,  which  was  prorogued  on  the  29th  of  April, 
four  hundred  and  fifty-four  Acts  and  eightj--six  Resolves 
were  passed,  —  of  the  former,  the  more  important  being, 
one  providing  for  the  manner  of  the  election  of  representa- 
tives in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States ;  one  authorizing 
a  loan  of  the  state  credit  to  the  amount  of  two  millions  of 
dollars,  to  enable  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad  Company 
to  construct  the  Hoosac  Tunnel ;  one  providing  for  the 
increase  of  the  Massachusetts  school  fund,  and  for  the  dispo- 
sition of  its  income  ;  and  one  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  a 
monument,  in  Philadelphia,  commemorative  of  American 
Independence. 

On  the  23d  of  May,  Charles  F.  Suttle,  of  Virginia,  pre- 
sented to  Edward  Greely  Loring,  of  Boston,  judge  of  pro- 
bate and  commissioner,  a  complaint  under  the  Fugitive 
Slave  Law,  praying  for  the  seizure  and  enslavement  of 
Anthony  Burns.  The  warrrant  was  issued,  and  on  the 
next  day  Burns  was  arrested,  under  the  false  pretext  of 
burglary,  and  confined  in  the  Sufiblk  county  court-house. 
At  first,  the  right  of  counsel  was  denied  to  the  prisoner; 
but  at  the  remonstrance  of  Theodore  Parker  and  others, 
counsel  were  assigned,  and  the  27th  of  Mav  was  appointed  as 


470  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  day  for  the  hearing.  On  the  evening  of  the  2Gth,  a 
great  meeting  was  held  at  Faneuil  Hall.  During  the  morn- 
ing and  afternoon  of  this  day  some  members  of  the  Vigi- 
lance Committee  —  including  Parker,  Phillips,  Higginson, 
Kemp,  Stowell,  and  Dr.  Howe' — discussed  the  proposal 
of  making  a  sudden  attack  on  the  court-house,  and  of  using 
the  Faneuil  Hall  crowd  to  this  end.  The  plan,  however, 
was  voted  down,  three  to  one.  The  meeting  adjourned 
about  five  o'clock,  and  those  who  were  to  address  the  audi- 
ence that  evening  were  cautioned  not  to  permit  this  audi- 
ence to  break  up  for  any  unprepared  attack  on  the  court- 
house. Between  the  hour  of  adjournment  and  that  fixed 
for  the  public  meeting,  however,  certain  members  of  the 
Vigilance  Committee  decided  themselves  to  make  the  attack. 
In  the  evening  Faneuil  Hall  was  filled  to  overflowing. 
Samuel  G.  Howe  called  the  public  meeting  to  order ;  George 
R.  Russell  presided  ;  and  speeches  were  made  by  Parker, 
Phillips,  and  others.  The  "'Suppressed  excitement  of  the 
audience  was  intense.  Said  Theodore  Parker,  "  I  am  a 
clergyman,  and  a  man  of  peace.  I  love  peace.  But  there 
is  a  means,  and  there  is  an  end.  Liberty  is  the  end ;  and 
sometimes  peace  is  not  the  means  toward  it.  There  are 
ways  of  managing  this  matter  "  — the  Burns  affair  —  "  with- 
out shooting  anybody.  Be  sure  that  these  men  who  have 
kidnapped  a  man  in  Boston  are  cowards,  every  mother's  son 
of  them,  and  if  we  stand  up  there  resolutely,  and  declare 
that  this  man  shall  not  go  out  of  the  city  of  Boston,  ivitliout 
shooting  a  gun.,  then  he  Avon't  go  back.  Now  I  am  going  to 
propose,  that  when  you  adjourn,  it  be  to  meet  at  Court 
Square  to-morrow  morning  at  nine  o'clock.  As  many  as 
are  in  favor  of  that  motion  will  raise  their  hands."  Many 
hands  were  raised,  and  from  the  audience  came  shouts  of 


THE  SLA  VERY  A GITA  TION.  471 

*'  Let's  go  to-night.  Let's  pay  a  visit  to  the  slave-catchers 
at  the  Revere  House."  The  question  was  put,  "  Do  j-ou 
propose  to  go  to  tlic  Revere  House  to-night  ?  Then  show 
your  liands.  It  is  not  a  vote.  We  shall  meet  at  Court 
Square  at  nine  o'clock  to-morrow  morning." 

At  this  point  there  is  a  conflict  of  evidence.  It  is  not 
possible  to  determine  Avhether  Parker  had  been  informed 
of  the  new  plan  and  wait^^d  for  the  signal  agreed  on,  hut 
thinking  it  was  not  given,  concluded  his  speech  as  just 
quoted,  or  whether,  knowing  nothing  of  the  proposed 
attack,  he  made  it  his  princiijal  aim  to  restrain  the  audience 
from  rushing  away  into  Court  Square.  There  were,  indeed, 
cries  of  alarm  around  the  doors  ;  but  those  on  the  platform, 
supposing  them  to  be  feints  only,  held  the  audience  within 
the  hall.  Before  the  meeting  adjourned,  —  quietly,  of 
course,  —  Dr.  Howe  left  the  hall,  and  hurried  to  Court 
Square,  to  see  whether  the  cries  which  he  had  heard  really 
meant  anything.  Upon  arriving  at  the  court-house,  he 
found  that  a  small  attack  had  been  made  ;  but  the  doors 
were  closed,  and  the  crowd  dispersed.  If  we  suppose  the 
signal  to  have  been  given  at  Faneuil  Hall,  —  Avhicli  is  quite 
improbable,  —  there  surely  would  not  have  been  time  for 
the  crowd  to  make  its  slow  way  to  the  square  in  season  to 
be  of  any  service. 

Thus  the  affair  ended.  During  the  remainder  of  that 
night  and  the  whole  of  the  next  day  the  marines  and  militia 
held  the  streets  and  guarded  the  court-house.  The  slave 
was  handed  over  to  his  master ;  and  on  Frida}-,  the  2d  of 
June,  he  was  marched  through  Court  Street  and  State 
Street  to  the  wharf,  in  the  centre  of  a  hollow  square  of 
armed  ruffians,  themselves  guarded  by  companies  of  militia, 
protected  by  cannon.     The  bells  of  the  city  tolled  a  solemn 


472  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

dirge ;  the  streets  were  draped  in  black ;  and  the  whole 
scene  was  as  awful  as  imagination  can  pictin*e  it.  Those  who 
witnessed  the  spectacle  will  never,  never  foi'get  it.^ 

In  the  spring  of  1854,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  of  Illinois, 
proposed  a  bill  in  the  United  States  Senate  to  organize  the 
immense  region,  extending  from  the  confines  of  jMissouri, 
Iowa,  and  Minnesota,  to  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  INIountaius, 
and  from  36°  30'  north  latitude  to  the  British  Possessions, 
into  two  territories,  to  be  known  as  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 
This  bill  contained  a  clause  repealing  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise, under  the  plea  that  it  "  Avas  inconsistent  with  the 
principle  of  non-intervention  by  Congress  with  slavery  in 
the  states  and  territories,  as  recognized  by  the  compromise 
measures  of  1850."  The  people  were  taken  by  surprise ; 
for  the  question,  so  destructive  to  national  harmony,  and 
which  it  was  hoped  had  been  settled  forever,  hud  assumed  a 
new  form.  The  Missouri  Compromise  had  been  deemed  a 
sacred  compact  between  the  North  and  the  South,  and  as 
such,  for  the  third  of  a  century,  had  received  the  sanction 
of  all  parties.  On  the  21st  of  Februar}^,  —  a  day  that  tried 
men's  souls, —  Charles  Sumner  arose,  almost  single-handed 
and  alone,  to  defend  human  rights,  and  to  speak  in  oppQsi- 
tion  to  the  repeal.  With  regard  to  the  future  of  his  cause, 
he  said,  — 

"  I  am  not  blind  to  the  adverse  signs  ;  but  this  I  see  clear- 
ly :  amidst  all  seeming  discouragements,  the  great  omens  are 
with  us.  Art,  literature,  poetr}',  religion,  everything  which 
elevates  man, — all  are  on  our  side.  The  plough,  the  steam 
engine,  the  railroad,  the  telegraph,  the  book,  every  human 
improvement,   every   generous  word   anywhere,    every   true 

'  Anthony  Burns  was  subsequently  purchased,  became  a  preacher,  and 
settled  in  Canada. 


THE  SLA  VERY  A  GIT  A  TION.  473 

pulsation  of  every  heart,  wliicli  is  not  a  mere  muscle  and 
nothing  else,  gives  new  encouragement  to  the  warfare  with 
slavery.  The  discussion  will  proceed.  The  devices  of  party 
can  no  longer  stave  it  off.  The  suhterfuges  of  the  politician 
cannot  escape  it.  The  tricks  of  the  office-seeker  cannot 
dodge  it.  "Wherever  an  election  occurs,  there  this  question 
will  arise.  Wherever  men  come  together  to  speak  of  puLlic 
ajBfairs,  there  again  will  it  be.  Xo  political  Joshua  now,  with 
miraculous  power,  can  stop  the  sun  in  his  course  through 
the  heavens.  It  is  even  now  rejoicing,  like  a  strong  man 
to  run  its  race,  and  will  yet  send  its  beams  into  the  most 
distant  plantations,  —  ay,  sir,  and  melt  the  chains  of  every 
slave." 

On  the  night  of  the  2oth  of  ^lay,  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska 
bill  passed  Congress,  and  having  been  signed  by  the  presi- 
dent, became  the  law  of  the  land.  "  It  is  at  once  the  worst 
and  the  best  bill,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Sumner,  before  it  passed, 
"  on  which  Congress  ever  acted.  It  is  the  worst  bill,  inas- 
much as  it  is  a  present  victory  of  slavery.  In  a  Christian 
land,  and  in  an  age  of  civilization,  a  time-honor.ed  statute 
of  freedom  is  struck  down ;  opening  the  way  to  all  the 
countless  woes  and  s^^rongs  of  human  bondage.  Among  the 
crimes  of  history  another  is  about  to  be  recorded,  which  no 
tears  can  blot  out,  and  which,  in  better  daj-s,  will  be  read 
with  universal  shame.  It  is  the  best  bill  on  which  Con- 
gress ever  acted ;  for  it  prepares  the  way  for  that  '  all  hail 
hereafter,'  when  slavery  must  disappear.  Standing  at  the 
very  grave  of  freedom  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  I  lift  myself 
to  the  vision  of  that  happy  resurrection  by  whicli  freedom 
will  be  secured  hereafter,  not  only  in  these  territories,  but 
everywhere  under  the  national  government.  More  clearly 
than  ever  before,  I  now  see  '  the  beginning  of  the  end '  of 
60 


474  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

slavery.  Proudly  I  discern  the  flag  of  my  country,  as  it 
ripples  in  every  breeze,  at  last  become  in  reality,  as  in  name, 
the  flag  of  freedom,  undoubted,  pure,  and  irresistible.  Sor- 
rowfully I  bend  before  the  wrong  you  are  about  to  enact ; 
joyfully  I  welcome  all  the  promises  of  the  future." 

On  the  81st  of  May,  1854,  a  state  convention  of  the  Free 
Soil  party  was  held  in  Boston,  at  which  a  series  of  resolutions 
denunciatory  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  and  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  Act,  were  passed.  "  The  time  has  come,"  it  was 
said,  "  to  forget  the  past,  obliterate  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act, 
and  to  do  what  we  can  to  place  the  country  perpetually 
on  the  side  of  freedom.  The  time  has  now  come  for  the 
freemen  of  the  North  to  form  one  great  progressive  Demo- 
cratic party  that  shall  guide  the  policy  and  control  the 
destinies  of  the  republic.  Whether  the  standard  bearer  of 
that  party  shall  be  our  own  trusted  leader  of  1852,  or  a 
member  of  the  whig  or  democratic  party,  he  shall  have  the 
unwavering  support  of  the  free  democracy." 

Sliortly  afterward,  a  strong  effort  was  made  in  Massachu- 
setts to  unite  the  opponents  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
prohibition,  and  to  form  a  political  organization  that  should 
be  untrammelled  by  slaveholding  alliances.  On  the  20th 
of  July,  a  mass  convention  of  the  people  was  held  at  "Wor- 
cester, who  declared  in  favor  of  a  new  organization,  to  be 
called  the  "  Republican  "  party.  On  the  7tli  of  September, 
a  state  convention  of  the  republican  party  was  held  at  the 
same  place.  The  Hon.  Robert  Rantoul,  of  Beverly,  jjre- 
sided,  and  the  majority  of  the  members  were  Free  Soilers. 
But  few  whigs  and  democrats  were  present.  The  conven- 
tion nominated  Henry  Wilson  as  a  candidate  for  governor, 
and  Increase  Sumner  for  lieutenant  governor.  In  the  course 
of  the  day,  Charles  Sumner,  who  had  returned  to  Massachu- 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  475 

setts  to  unite  with  his  fellow-citizens  in  new  vows  of  duty, 
addressed  the  convention. 

"  By  the  passage  of  the  Nebraska  Bill,*'  he  said,  "  and 
the  Boston  kidnapping  case,  the  tyranny  of  the  slave  power 
has  become  unmistakably  manifest ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
all  compromises  with  slavery  are  happily  dissolved,  so  that 
freedom  now  stands  face  to  face  Avith  its  foe.  The  pulpit, 
too,  released  from  ill-omened  silence,  now  thunders  for  free- 
dom, as  in  the  olden  lime.  It  belongs  to  INIassachusetts  — 
nurse  of  the  men  and  principles  which  made  the  earliest 
Revolution  —  to  vow  herself  anew  to  her  ancient  faith,  as 
she  lifts  herself  to  the  great  struggle.  Her  place  now,  as 
of  old,  is  in  the  van,  at  the  head  of  the  battle.  But  to  sus- 
tain this  advanced  position,  with  proper  inflexibility,  three 
things  are  needed  by  our  beloved  commonwealth,  in  all  her 
departments  of  government,  —  the  same  three  things  which 
once,  in  Faneuil  Hall,  I  ventured  to  say,  Avere  needed  by 
ever}-  representative  of  the  Xortli  at  Washington.  The  first 
is  backbone ;  the  second  is  backbone  ;  and  the  third  is 
backbone.  With  these,  ]Massachusetts  will  be  respected,  and 
felt  as  a  positive  force  in  the  national  government ;  Avhile 
at  home,  on  her  own  soil,  —  free,  at  last,  in  reality  as  in 
name,  —  all  her  people,  from  the  islands  of  Boston  to  Berk- 
shire hills,  and  from  the  sands  of  Barnstable  to  the  northern 
line,  will  unite  in  the  cry,  — 

'No  slave  hunt  in  our  borders!  no  pirate  on  our  strand! 
No  fetter  in  the  Bay  State !  no  slave  upon  her  land  I '  " 

It  became  every  day  more  apparent,  however,  that  the 
attempt  to  unite  the  opponents  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
prohibition  into  one  party  had  signally  failed  in  iMassachu- 
setts.     The  leaders  of  the  new  party  resolved,  therefore,  to 


476  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

co-operate  with  a  secret  organization  that  had  sprung  into 
existence  a  few  months  previous,  and  was  rapidly  increasing 
in  numbers.  "Wlien  the  convention  of  that  organization 
assembled  in  October,  it  evinced  great  strength.  The  free 
sellers  and  democrats  that  had,  three  years  before,  sent  Mr. 
Sumner  and  Mr.  Rantoul  to  the  national  senate,  and  made 
Mr.  Boutwell  governor,  were  in  tlie  majority.  After  the 
organization  of  the  convention,  the  name  of  Henry  Wilson 
was  proposed  as  a  candidate  for  the  governorship.  He 
declined  the  nomination,  for  the  reason  that  he  had  already 
accepted  the  republican  nomination.  He  affirmed,  however, 
that  something  ought  to  be  done  to  break  up  the  whig  and 
democratic  parties  of  the  state,  and  to  elect  a  senator  and 
representatives  to  Congress  with  no  southern  alliances.  "To 
accomplish  such  results  he  was  ready  to  make  any  personal 
sacrifice,  and  so  was  the  great  body  of  the  anti-slaverj'  men 
of  the  state.  Sound  policy  required  that  the  nominees  of 
that  convention  for  governor  and  lieutenant  governor  should 
be  taken  from  the  whig  and  democratic  parties ;  and  he 
appealed  to  his  personal  and  political  friends  to  cast  no  votes 
for  him."  The  result  of  the  fall  election  was  a  partial 
triumph  of  the  policy  of  freedom.  Seven  free-soilers  were 
sent  to  Congress,  and  with  them  Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  who 
had  been  a  coalition  democrat ;  James  Buffinton,  Linus  B. 
Comins,  and  Robert  B.  Hall,  one  of  the  original  twelve 
members  of  the  New  England  Anti-slavery  Society.  Not 
less  than  twenty  thousand  free-soilers  in  the  state  went  into 
the  American,  or  so-called  "  Know-Nothing  "  organization. 

Henry  J.  Gardner,  of  Boston,  was  triumphantly  chosen 
governor  by  the  "  Know-Nothings,"  by  a  majority  of  up- 
ward of  thirty-one  thousand  votes.  Only  six  whigs  and  one 
democrat  were  elected  into  the  House  of  Representatives. 


THE  SLA  VER  Y  A  GIT  A  TIOX.  477 

The  election  was  a  complete  victory  for  the  Know  Nothing 
party ;  and  it  was  the  more  remarkable,  because  resulting 
wholly  unexpectedly.  The  democrats  were  non-plussed ; 
while  the  whigs,  who  had  assured  themselves  of  the  re- 
election of  Mr.  Washburn,  as  a  matter  of  certainty,  could 
scarcely  believe  what  had  taken  place.  The  new  legislature 
began  its  session  on  the  3d  of  Jauuar}',  1855,  and  closed  on 
the  21st  of  May.  During  this  session  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-nine  days  in  length,  four  hundred  and  eighty-nine 
Acts,  and  eighty-nine  Resolves  were  passed.  Among  the 
more  important  of  these  Acts  was  one  providing  for  the 
appointment  of  a  Board  of  Insurance  Commissioners  ;  and 
requiring  them  to  visit  every  insurance  company  in  tlie  state 
at  least  once  in  two  years,  and  thoroughly  examine  their  books 
and  papers  ;  one  prohibiting  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors, 
except  by  authorized  agents,  and  authorizing  officers  to  arrest, 
without  warrant,  any  person  found  in  the  act  of  illegally 
selling  or  distributing  such  liquors ;  one,  compelling  the 
attendance  of  children  at  cither  public  or  private  schools; 
one  providing  for  the  establishment  of  a  State  Reform  School 
for  girls  ;  one  abolishing  imprisonment  for  debt,  and  pro- 
viding for  the  punishment  of  fraudulent  debtors,  and  one, 
protecting  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  people  of  the 
commonwealth,  declaring  every  person  entitled  to  writ  of 
HABEAS  CORPUS,  except  in  cases  specified  in  the  Revised 
Statutes,  and  prohibiting  any  officer  of  the  state  or  member 
of  the  volunteer  militia,  under  penalty,  from  aiding  in  the 
seizure  or  detention  of  fugitive  slaves. 

Before  the  session  closed,  Henry  Wilson  was  elected  to 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred 
and  four  majority  in  the  House,  and  one  majority  in  the 
Senate.     On  the  10th  of  February,  1855,  he  entered  upon 


478  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

the  duties  of  his  office  at  Washington,  as  the  successor  of 
Edward  Everett.  At  this  time  the  Senate  was  a  body  of 
great  and  distinguished  men.  To  be  sure,  neither  Webster, 
nor  Clay,  nor  Calhoun,  were  there  ;  but  their  places  were 
supplied  by  Charles  Sumner,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  John  M. 
Clayton,  Lewis  Cass,  William  H.  Seward,  Hamilton  Fish, 
Salmon  P.  Chase,  and  others.  Franklin  Pierce  was  still  in 
the  presidential  chair.  Jefferson  Davis  was  in  the  cabinet, 
and  the  Kansas  question  was  before  the  country.  The 
whole  administration,  and  all  its  ideas,  sympathies,  and 
devices  were  at  war  with  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  age, 
and  was  confused  and  overwhelmed  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
hour. 

Mr.  Sumner  did  not  identify  himself  with  the  American 
organization,  which  he  characterized  as  a  "  short-lived " 
party.  "It  is  proposed,"  he  said,  justly,  "to  attaint  men 
for  their  religion,  and  also  for  their  birth.  If  tliis  object 
can  prevail,  vain  are  the  triumphs  of  civil  freedom  in  its 
many  hard-fought  fields,  vain  is  that  religious  toleration 
which  we  all  profess.  The  fires  of  Smithfield,  the  tortures  of 
the  Inquisition,  the  proscriptions  of  non-conformists,  may  all 
be  revived.  It  was  mainly  to  escape  these  outrages,  dictated 
by  a  dominant  religious  sect,  that  our  country  was  early 
settled,  in  one  place  by  Quakers,  who  set  at  nought  all 
forms  ;  in  another  by  Puritans,  who  disowned  bishops  ;  in 
another  by  Episcopalians,  who  take  their  names  from  bishops ; 
and  in  yet  another  by  Catholics,  who  look  to  the  Pope  as 
their  spiritual  father.  Slowly  among  sects  was  evolved  the 
great  idea  of  the  equality  of  all  men  before  the  law,  without 
regard  to  religious  belief;  nor  can  any  party  now  organize 
a  proscription  merely  for  religious  belief,  without  calling  in 
question  this  unquestionable  principle." 


HIE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  479 

Governor  Gardner  was  re-elected  iii  the  autumn  of  1855, 
notwithstanding  that  his  policy  had  alienated  many  of  his 
original  su])porters.  The  whig  party  had  already  become  too 
much  a  faction,  and  the  democrats  were  too  few  in  numbers  to 
recover  from  the  defeat  of  the  previous  year,  and  were  there- 
fore powerless  to  offer  any  effective  opposition.  The  session 
of  the  General  Court  for  1856  was  begun  on  the  2d  of 
January,  and  was  prorogued  on  the  Gth  of  June.  At  this 
session  three  hundred  and  ten  Acts  and  one  hundred  and 
three  Resolves  were  passed. 

By  the  passage,  in  1854,  of  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Bill, 
a  vast  extent  of  territory  was  laid  open,  both  to  free  and 
servile  labor,  and  immigration  at  once  began  to  set  in  from 
the  north  and  south,  thus  bringing  freedom  and  slavery 
hand  to  hand  and  face  to  face.  In  the  autumn  of  1855 
confusion  reigned  in  the  territory.  Outrages  of  almost 
every  kind  were  committed,  and  property,  belonging  in  the 
most  part  to  the  free  state  settlers,  was  destroyed.  In  the 
spring  of  1856,  Mr.  Seward  presented  "  A  bill  for  the 
admission  of  Kansas  into  the  Union,"  on  which  a  fierce 
debate  ensued.  In  the  course  of  the  discussion  Mr.  Sum- 
ner made  his  celebrated  speech,  entitled  "  The  Crime  against 
Kansas."  "The  Nebraska  bill,"  said  the  speaker,  "  was  in 
every  respect  a  swindle.  It  was  a  swindle  by  the  south  of 
the  north.  It  was,  on  the  part  of  those  who  had  already 
completely  enjoyed  their  share  of  the  Missouii  Compromise, 
a  swindle  of  those  whose  share  w'as  yet  absolutely  untouched  ; 
and  the  plea  of  unconstitutionahty  set  up  —  like  the  plea  of 
usury  after  the  borrowed  money  has  been  enjoyed  —  did  not 
make  it  less  a  swindle.  God  be  praised  !  j\Iassachusetts,  the 
lionored  commonwealth  that  gives  me  the  privilege  to  plead 
for  Kansas  on   this  floor,  knows  her  rights,  and  will  maintain 


480  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

them  firmly  to  the  end.  To  men  on  earth  it  belongs  only 
to  deserve  success,  not  to  secure  it ;  and  I  know  not  how 
soon  the  efforts  of  Massachusetts  will  wear  the  crown  of 
triumph.  Bat  it  cannot  be  that  she  acts  wrong  for  herself 
or  children,  when  in  this  cause  she  thus  encounters  reproach. 
No  ;  by  the  generous  souls  who  were  exposed  at  Lexington ; 
by  those  who  stood  arrayed  at  Bunker  Hill ;  by  the  many 
from  her  bosom,  who,  on  all  the  fields  of  the  first  great 
struggle,  lent  their  vigorous  arms  to  the  cause  of  all ;  by  the 
children  she  has  borne,  whose  names  alone  are  national 
trophies,  —  is  Massachusetts  now  vowed  irrevocably  to  this 
work.  "What  belongs  to  the  faithful  servant,  she  will  do 
in  all  things  ;  and  Providence  shall  determine  the  result." 

"  Such  words  are  damaging  !  "  "  He  has  the  audacity  of 
a  Danton."  "  He  must  be  silenced  I  "  "  Shall  we  challenge 
him  ?  "  Such  were  some  of  the  remarks  which  now  escaped 
from  the  lips  of  the  southern  chivalry.  Nor  were  these 
remarks  uttered  without  a  deep,  fiendish  meaning.  On  the 
22d  of  May,  two  days  subsequent  to  the  conclusion  of  his 
speech,  Mr.  Sumner,  while  seated  at  his  desk  in  the  senate 
chamber,  engaged  in  writing,  and  after  the  Senate  had 
adjourned,  was  assaulted  and  beaten  to  the  floor  by  Preston 
S.  Brooks,  of  South  Carolina.  The  senator  fell  forward, 
bleeding  and  insensible,  as  a  dead  man.  "  Do  you  want  the 
pieces  of  your  cane,  Mr.  Brooks?"  asked  a  page  of  the 
Senate.  "  Only  the  gold  head,"  replied  the  rufiSanly  assail- 
ant. "  The  next  time,  kill  him.  Brooks,"  said  his  companion, 
who  stood  in  the  doorway  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand.  "  Come, 
let  us  go  and  take  a  drink."     They  did  so. 

Mr.  Sumner,  assisted  by  a  few  friends,  was  removed  to 
his  lodgings,  where  for  several  daj^s  he  wavered  between 
life  and  death.     The  assault  of  Preston  S.   Brooks   struck 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  481 

the  heart  of  every  slave,  and  every  friend  of  freedom  on 
this  continent.  As  soon  as  the  news  reached  Boston  a 
larsre  meetincr  was  called  in  Faneuil  Hall.  "  We  must 
stand  by  him/'  said  Governor  Gardner,  "  who  is  the  represen- 
tative of  Massachusetts,  under  all  circumstances.'-'  "  Every 
drop  of  blood,"  remarked  Peleg  W.  ChanLller,  "  shed  by 
him  in  this  disgraceful  affair  has  raised  up  ten  thousand 
armed  men."  On  the  27th  of  May,  Mr.  Wilson,  on  the 
floor  of  the  Senate,  characterized  the  assault  as  "brutal, 
murderous,  and  cowardly  ; "  and  on  the  21st  of  June,  Mr. 
Anson  Burlingame,  in  a  manly  speech  in  the  House,  said, 
"  I  denounce  it  in  the  name  of  the  sovereignty  of  Massachu- 
setts, which  was  stricken  down  by  the  blow ;  I  denounce  it 
in  the  name  of  humanity  ;  I  denounce  it  in  the  name  of 
civilization,  which  it  outraged ;  I  denounce  it  in  the  name 
of  that  fair  play  which  even  bullies  and  prize-fighters  re- 
spect. "What  I  strike  a  man  when  he  is  pinioned,  —  when 
he  cannot  respond  to  a  blow  I  Call  you  that  chivalry  !  In 
what  code  of  honor  did  you  get  your  authority  for  that  ?  " 
On  the  3d  of  November,  Mr.  Sumner,  having  recovered 
somewhat  from  his  injuries,  arrived  in  Boston,  and  met  with 
a  reception  little  less  than  a  triumph.^ 

On  the  4th  of  November  occurred  the  eighteenth  presiden- 
tial election.  The  main  question  at  issue  was,  —  the  exten- 
tion  of  slavery  into  the  territories,  or  its  limitation  to  the 
states  wherein  it  already  existed.  Within  a  few  years,  as 
we  have  already  seen,  political  issues  had  somewhat 
changed.  A  party,  known  as  the  "American,"  had  arisen 
in  1853,  whose  main  principle  was  opposition  to  foreign 
influence,  and  their  motto,  "  Americans  should  rule  America." 

'  Brooks  was  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  three  hundred  dollars  for  his  bru- 
tality.    He  died  miserably  in  Washington,  January  27,  1857. 

61 


482  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

In  the  following  year  this  party  was  successful  in  most  of 
the  state  elections.  Meantime  arose  another  party,  com- 
posed chiefly  of  whigs  and  democrats,  .who  were  opposed  to 
the  extension  of  slavery  into  free  territory.  They  were 
known  as  republicans.  On  the  other  hand,  the  democrats 
were  willing  that  slavery  should  go  into  the  territories  if 
the  inhabitants  thereof  desired  it.  The  latter  party  nomi- 
nated James  Buchanan,  of  Pennsylvania ;  the  republicans 
nominated  John  C.  Fremont,  of  California,  and  the  Ameri- 
cans nominated  ex-president  Fillmore  for  the  presidency. 
After  a  canvass  of  more  than  usual  spirit,  nineteen  states, 
with  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  electoral  votes,  went  for 
Buchanan  and  Breckenridge  ;  eleven  states,  with  one  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  electoral  votes,  for  Fremont  and  Dayton ; 
and  one  state,  —  Maryland,  • —  with  eight  electoral  votes, 
for  Fillmore  and  Donaldson.  Mr.  Gardner  was  also  re- 
elected governor  of  Massachusetts.  The  General  Court 
assembled  on  the  7th  of  January,  1857,  and  rose  on  the 
30th  of  May.  During  the  session,  three  hundred  and  six 
Acts  and  one  hundred  and  eight  Resolves  were  passed. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  Charles  Sumner  was  unanimously 
re-elected  to  another  six  years'  term  of  office.  "It  is  not 
too  much  to  say,"  remarked  the  Nev/'  York  Tribune,  "  that 
Mr.  Sumner  is  at  this  moment  the  most  popular  man  in  the 
state,  the  opinions  of  Avhich  he  so  truly  represents." 

In  the  election  of  1857  there  Avere  four  candidates  in  the 
field  for  the  governorship :  Nathaniel  P.  Banks  was  the 
choice  of  the  republicans,  ex-governor  Gardner  was  the 
choice  of  the  whigs,  Erasmus  D.  Beach  was  the  choice  of  the 
democrats,  and  Caleb  Swan  was  the  candidate  of  a  few  men, 
who  called  themselves  "  straight  republicans."  Mr.  Beach 
was  the  regular  administration  candidate.     The  party  which 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  483 

supported  ex-governor  Gardner  was,  in  reality,  little  more  than 
a  personal  faction,  strengthened  by  no  common  bond  and 
purpose.  The  professed  object  of  Air.  Banks's  supporters  was 
"  to  unite  in  a  single  effective  political  organization,  recogniz- 
ing and  recognized  by  similar  organizations  in  the  other  states 
of  the  Union,  all  citizens  of  Massachusetts  who  are  opposed 
to  the  policy  of  the  present  national  administration,  especially 
as  regards  the  extension  of  slavery  ;  who  are  opposed  to 
the  development  of  the  doctrine,  set  forth  by  the  president 
in  his  letter  to  the  New  Haven  memorialists,  that  slavery 
exists  everywhere  in  the  public  domain  of  the  United  States, 
by  virtue  of  the  constitution,  —  and  who  are  opposed  to  the 
reopening  of  the  slave  trade,  now  loudly  demanded  by  the 
southern  wing  of  the  democratic  party,  which  thus  far  in 
the  history  of  the  country,  has  always  obtained  its  demands." 
Furthermore,  Mr.  Banks  invited  to  his  support  all  those 
voters  who  desired  to  see  established  in  the  commonwealth 
a  practical  and  effective  system  of  State  reform,  whereby  the 
taxes  should  so  be  reduced  as  to  make  a  practical  alleviation 
in  the  burden  of  the  tax  payers.  Mr.  Banks  was  elected  by 
a  plurality  of  upward  of  twenty-three  thousand  votes ; 
thirty-two  senators,  and  one  hundred  and  sixtj^-three  repre- 
sentatives, were  also  elected  by  the  party  to  the  General 
Couft. 

General  Banks  held  his  office  for  three  years,  being  twice 
re-elected  by  overwhelming  majorities.  His  administration 
was  one  of  great  prosperitj'.  The  manufacturing  interest, 
so  heavil}'  oppressed  by  the  recent  financial  crisis,  was  stead- 
ily advanced,  and  placed  upon  a  more  encouraging  basis. 
The  municipal  charities  of  the  commonwealth  were  faithfully 
administered,  and  an  increased  economy  was  maintained  in 
the    management    of    almshouses.      The   commissioners   ap- 


484  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

pointed  by  the  act  of  1854,  to  revise  the  General  Statutes, 
completed  their  work  during  this  administration.  The 
statute  of  1858,  consolidating  the  courts  of  probate  and 
chancery,  was  found  to  operate  favorably.  The  report  of 
the  adjutant  general  represented  the  flourishing  condition 
of  the  militia.  In  1858  there  were  one  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-two  men  enrolled, 
and  five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy-one  were  in 
active  service.  Said  the  governor,  "  No  commonwealth  has 
better  material  than  our  own  for  effective  military  organiza- 
tions, and  properly  established  upon  the  regimental  basis,  it 
would  present  citizen  soldiers  unsurpassed  by  any  on  this 
continent,  either  in  regular  or  volunteer  service.  There  is 
necessity  for  more  clearly  defined  general  regulations  for  the 
military  forces  of  the  state  than  now  exist.  It  is  proper 
that  Massachusetts  should  have  a  military  code  of  her  own, 
which,  while  it  should  recognize  and  enforce  the  constitu- 
tional authority  of  the  United  States,  should  be  also  adapted 
to  the  conditions  and  wants  of  her  own  service,  and  I  invite 
you  to  consider  the  expediency  of  appointing  a  commission 
of  military  officers  for  the  consideration  of  this  subject."^ 

During  this  administration  the  Supreme  Court  entered  a 
decision  confirming  the  title  of  the  commonwealth  to  the 
lands  in  the  Back  Bay,  which  embraced  an  area  of  one  Hun- 
dred acres.  The  same  decision  established,  also,  the  pre- 
rogative title  of  the  state  to  all  channels  and  flats  within  its 
jurisdiction,  below  the  line  of  private  ownership.  A  few 
months  later,  contracts  were  made  for  filling  one  half  the 
Back  Bay  lands.  The  long  pending  question  of  boundary 
between  the  Commonwealth  and  the  State  of  Rhode  Island, 
which  had  been  a  subject  of  controversy  since  the  adoption 

'  Message,  January  6,  1859. 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  485 

of  the  Federal  Constitution,  was  finally  adjusted  in  18G0,  by 
the  adoption  of  a  conventional  line. 

In  his  valedictory  address,  delivered  on  the  Cd  of  January, 
18G1,  Governor  Banks  alluded  to  one  topic,  which  had  a 
direct  bearing  on  the  war  which  was  so  soon  to  open.  The 
legislature  of  1858  had  passed  an  "  Act  for  the  protection  of 
personal  liberty v"  which  was  intended  to  mitigate  the  harsh 
provisions  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law.  Judge  Story  had 
ruled  that  the  constitution  contemplated  tlie  existence  of  a 
"  positive,  unqualified  right  on  the  part  of  the  owner  of 
a  slave,  which  no  state  law  or  regulation  can  in  any  way 
qualify,  regulate,  control,  or  restrain."  This  opinion  of  the 
Supreme  Court  was  approved  by  the  state  legislature,  and 
confirmed  by  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court.  Said  Governor 
Banks,  "  It  is  not  my  purpose  to  defend  the  constitution- 
ality of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act.  The  omission  of  a  provision 
for  jury  trial,  however  harsh  and  cruel,  cannot  in  any  event 
be  supplied  by  state  legislation.  While  I  am  constrained  to 
doubt  the  right  of  this  state  to  enact  such  laws,  I  do  not 
admit  that,  in  any  just  sense,  it  is  a  violation  of  the  national 
compact.  It  is  only  when  unconstitutional  legislation  is 
enforced  by  executive  authority  that  it  assumes  that  char- 
acter, and  no  such  result  has  occurred  in  this  state.  ...  I 
cannot  but  regard  the  maintenance  of  a  statute,  although  it 
may  be  within  the  extremest  limits  of  constitutional  power, 
which  is  so  unnecessary  to  the  public  service  and  so  detri- 
mental to  the  public  peace,  as  an  inexcusable  public  wrong. 
I  hope  by  common  consent  it  may  be  removed  from  the 
statute  book,  and  such  guarantees  as  individual  freedom 
demands  be  sought  in  new  legislation."  ^ 

'  These  and  other  words  embraced  in  Governor  Banks's  vah'dictory  address 
were  made  prominent  pretexts  by  the  disunion  party  to  justify  a  dissolution 
of  the  Union. 


486  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

In  the  election  of  1860  there  were  also  four  candidates. 
John  A.  Andrew,  of  Boston,  was  the  candidate  of  the  repub- 
licans ;  Erasmus  D.  Beach,  of  Springfield,  of  the  Douglas 
wing  of  the  democrats ;  Amos  A.  Lawrence,  of  Boston,  of 
the  conservatives  ;  and  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  of  Lowell,  of 
the  Breckenridge  wing  of  the  democrats.  Mr.  Andrew 
received  a  majority  over  all  the  opposing  candidates  of 
upward  of  thirty-nine  thousand  votes.  The  eight  councillors 
elected,  and  all  the  members  of  Congress,  were  republicans. 
The  presidential  electors  in  favor  of  the  election  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  of  Illinois,  and  of  Hannibal  Hamlin,  of  Maine,  for 
president  and  vice  president  of  the  United  States,  received 
about  the  same  majority  as  did  Mr.  Andrew  for  governor. 

Governor  Andrew  was  inaugurated  on  the  5th  of  January, 
1861.  In  his  address  he  reviewed  the  condition  of  the  coun- 
try, and  thus  alluded,  to .  the  position  Avhicli  Massachusetts 
and  her  great  statesmen  had  always  held  in  regard  to  it. 
"  Inspired,"  said  he,  "  by  the  same  ideas  and  emotions  which 
commanded  the  fraternization  of  Jackson  and  Webster  on 
another  great  occasion  of  public  danger,  the  people  of  Massa- 
chusetts, confiding  in  the  patriotism  of  their  brethren  in 
other  states,  accept  this  issue,  and  respond  in  the  words  of 
Jackson:  ^  The  Federal  Union;  it  must  he  preserved!* 
Until  we  complete  the  work  of  rolling  back  this  wave  of 
rebellion,  which  threatens  to  ingulf  the  government,  over- 
throw democratic  institutions,  subject  the  people  to  the 
rule  of  a  minority,  if  not  of  mere  military  despotism,  and  in 
some  communities  to  endanger  the  very  existence  of  civil- 
ized  society,  we  cannot  turn  aside,  and  we  will  not  turn 
back.  It  is  to  those  of  our  brethren  in  the  disaffected 
states,  whose  mouths  are  closed  by  a  temporary  reign  of 
terror,  not  less  than  to  ourselves,  that  we  owe  this  labor, 


THE  SLAVERY  AGITATION.  487 

which  with  tlic  help  of  Providence  it  is  our  duty  to  per- 
form." 

"  I  need  not  add,"  he  conchided,  "  that  whatever  ri<^dits 
pertain  to  an}'  person  under  tlie  constitution  of  the  Union 
are  secure  in  Massachusetts  while  the  Union  shall  endure  ; 
and  whatever  authorit}'^  or  function  pertains  to  the  federal 
government  for  the  maintenance  of  any  such  right,  is  an 
authority  or  function  which  neither  the  government  nor  the 
people  of  this  commonwealth  can  or  would  usurp,  evade,  or 
overthrow  ;  and  Massachusetts  demands,  and  has  a  right  to 
demand,  that  her  sister  states  shall  likewise  respect  the  con- 
stitutional rights  of  her  citizens  Avithin  their  limits." 

It  is  plain  that  Governor  Andrew  believed  that  war  be- 
tween the  north  and  south  was  inevitable.  It  is  known, 
moreover,  that  on  the  very  day  of  his  inauguration  he 
placed  himself  in  confidential  relations  with  each  of  the 
governors  of  the  New  England  States,  and  urged  them,  at 
all  possible  speed,  to  prepare  for  the  approaching  conflict. 
He  also  advised  that  an  inquiry  should  be  made  whether,  in 
addition  to  the  active  volunteer  militia,  the  dormant  militia, 
or  some  considerable  portion  of  it,  should  not  be  placed  on 
a  footing  of  activity.  "  For  how  otherwise,"  he  inquired, 
"  in  the  possible  contingencies  of  the  future,  can  we  be  sure 
that  Massachusetts  has  taken  care  to  preserve  the  manly  self- 
reliance  of  the  citizens,  by  which,  alone  in  the  long  run,  can 
the  creation  of  standing  armies  be  averted,  and  the  state  also 
be  ready,  without  inconvenient  delay,  to  contribute  her  share 
of  force  in  any  exigency  of  public  danger  ?  " 


488  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

MASSACHUSETTS   IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR. 

The  4th  of  March,  1861,  witnessed  the  departure  of  an 
old,  and  the  advent  of  a  new  administration,  in  the  midst 
of  pending  serious  national  calamities.  On  that  da}',  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  of  Illinois,  was  sworn  in  as  President  of  the 
United  States.  Although  rumors  of  revolt,  of  assassination, 
and  of  a  destruction  of  the  Capitol  were  rife,  the  solemn 
and  impressive  ceremonies  were  comjjleted  without  disaster 
or  crime.  In  his  inaugural  address.  President  Lincoln  said, 
"  In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow-countrymen,  and 
not  in  mine,  is  the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war.  The 
government  will  not  assail  you  ;  you  can  have  no  conflict 
without  yourselves  being  the  aggressors.  You  have  no  oath 
registered  in  heaven  to  destroy  the  government ;  while  I 
shall  have  the  most  solemn  one  to  '  jjreserve,  protect,  and 
defend  it.'  "  The  president's  commencement  was  the  omen 
of  a  successful  administration. 

About  the  middle  of  A2)ril,  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Fort 
Sumter  went  like  a  thunderbolt  through  the  land.  The 
martial  spirit  of  the  people  was  aroused.  Law,  order, 
peace,  the  foundations  of  the  republic,  had  been  outraged ; 
and  never  did  British  blood  or  Celtic  ire  leap  quicker  at 
an  insult  offered  to  their  nation's  honor,  than  did  the  Amer- 
ican spring  to  redeem  his  flag  from  this  deep  disgrace.  In 
view   of    the   myimidons   of    rebellion   belching    their   fires 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  489' 

upon  the  cliciislietl  institutions  of  the  Union,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  strike 
in  return.  There  Avas  no  eause,  no  time  for  deliberation. 
From  the  south  to  the  north,  from  the  east  to  the  west, 
went  the  cry  —  to  arms.  Then  followed  a  proclamation, 
calling  forth  seventy-five  thousand  of  the  militia  of  the 
several  states ;  Congress  was  ordered  to  assemble  on  the 
4th  of  July ;  the  ports  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama, Florida,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Texas,  Virginia,  and 
North  Carolina  —  the  seceded  states  —  were  declared  to  be 
in  a  state  of  blockade.  On  the  3d  of  May,  the  president 
called  for  forty-two  thousand  volunteers  to  serve  for  three 
years,  for  the  enlistment  of  eighteen  thousand  seamen  for 
the  naval  service,  and  directed  that  the  regular  army  should 
be  increased  by  twenty-two  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
fourteen  men.  The  national  executive  had  done  his  duty. 
He  had  not  precipitated  war  upon  the  country ;  war  had 
been  forced  upon  him.  It  only  remained  for  the  people 
to  respond  to  his  call,  and  by  their  acts  show  to  him, 
and  to  all  the  world,  whether  or  not  it  was  easy  to  break 
in  two  the  great  American  Republic. 

Four  facts  stand  out  prominently  in  the  response  of  Massa- 
chusetts to  the  proclamation  of  President  Lincoln.  First, 
the  excellent  system  for  the  organization  and  discipline  of 
the  military  force  of  the  state ;  second,  the  ascertaining 
at  headquarters  of  the  number  of  officers  and  men  who 
would  respond  to  any  call :  third,  the  foresight  that  in- 
duced the  legislature  on  the  3d  of  April  to  pass  a  bill 
appropriating  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  authorizing 
the  adjutant  general  to  contract  for  clothing  and  ammuni- 
tion for  two  thousand  troops ;  and  fourth,  the  fact  that 
the  volunteer  militia,  for  three  months  previous  to  the 
62 


490  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

outbreak,  in  anticipation  of  trouble  in  the  south,  wisely- 
prepared  themselves  for  action.  The  results  of  such  pro- 
ceedings only  show  the  force  of  the  aphorism  —  "In  peace 
prepare  for  war." 

Governor  Andrew,  on  the  15th  of  April,  received  a 
telegram  from  Washington,  urging  him  to  send  forward  at 
once  fifteen  hundred  men.  The  drum  beat  of  the  long 
roll  had  been  struck.  On  the  morning  of  the  16th  vol- 
unteers began  to  arrive  in  Boston.  The  first  to  reach  the 
capital  were  the  three  companies  of  the  eighth  regiment, 
belonging  to  Marblehead,  commanded  by  Captains  Martin, 
Phillips,  and  Boardman.  On  the  same  day,  the  fifth  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  report,  and  on  the  17th,  Brigadier 
General  Benjamin  F.  Butler  was  detailed  to  command  the 
troops.  At  six  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  16th,  the 
third,  fourth,  and  sixth  regiments  were  ready  to  start. 
Meanwhile  new  companies  were  being  raised  in  all  parts  of 
the  state. 

As  if  by  magic,  the  entire  character  of  the  state  was 
changed  ;  from  a  peaceful,  industrious  community,  it  became 
a  camp  of  armed  men,  and  the  hnm  of  labor  gave  place 
to  the  notes  of  fife  and  drum.  Amid  the  excitement  that 
everywhere  prevailed,  every  one  was  anxious  to  do  some- 
thing, and  in  some  way  to  be  useful.  Hundreds  of  the 
wealthier  citizens  of  Massachusetts  pledged  pecuniary  aid 
lo  soldiers'  families.  The  Boston  banks  offered  to  loan  the 
state  three  million  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  without 
security,  while  other  banks  in  the  state  manifested  similar 
liberality.  Gentlemen  of  the  learned  professions  tendered 
their  services,  while  ladies  of  every  rank  in  life  showed  their 
willingness  to  minister  to  the  sick  and  wounded  men  in 
the  hospitals. 


MASSACHUSETTS  LV   THE   CIllL    WAR.  491 

The  sixth  regiment  —  the  first  to  reach  Wiishingtou  — 
mustered  at  Lowell  on  the  IGth,  left  Boston  on  the  17th,  and 
reached  Philadelphia  on  the  18th  of  April.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  the  regiment  was  attacked  by  a  mob  in  Bal- 
timore, and  four  men  were  hilled,  and  thirty-six  were 
wounded.  The  names  of  the  former  merit  to  be  remem- 
bered :  Addison  O.  Whitney,  Luther  C.  Ladd,  and  Charles 
A.  Taylor,  of  company  D,  Lowell,  and  Sumner  IL  Needham, 
of  company  I,  Lawrence.  At  five  o'clock  the  troops  reached 
Washington,  and  were  quartered  in  the  senate  chamber. 
It  was  the  first  blood  shed,  the  first  victor}^  and  Massachu- 
setts had  the  honor,  as  in  the  first  revolution.  Under  the 
roof  of  the  Capitol  were  sheltered  the  brave  men  who 
first  marched  to  save  it.  When  the  news  came  that  the 
sons  of  Middlesex  and  Essex  had  fought  their  way  through, 
there  was  a  shout  of  exultation  which  told  that  Massachu- 
setts honored  Massachusetts  steel. 

The  third  regiment,  composed  of  companies  belonging  to 
Norfolk,  Plymouth,  and  Bristol  counties,  left  Boston  on 
the  ITth  of  April,  and  arrived  at  Fortress  Monroe  on  the 
20th.  The  fourth  regiment,  similarly  composed,  left  Boston 
on  the  same  day,  and  arrived  at  Fortress  Monroe,  likewise, 
on  the  20th.  The  eighth  regiment,  made  up  of  the  men  of 
Middlesex  and  Essex,  left  Boston  on  the  18th,  and  arrived 
at  Philadelphia  on  the  19th.  The  fifth  regiment  de[)arted 
on  the  21st,  and  proceeded,  by  wa}^  of  New  York,  to 
Annapolis,  where  it  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  24th. 
Two  days  later,  the  regiment  reached  Washington,  and  was 
quartered  in  the  treasury  building.  On  the  21st  of  July, 
the  fifth  bore  an  honored  part  in  the  disastrous  battle  at 
Bull  Run,  exactly  three  months  from  the  day  the  regiment 
left   Faneuil   Hall.      On    the    30th   it   returned   to    Boston, 


492  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

having  been  in  service  three  months  and  seven  days.  On 
the  21st  of  April,  the  eighth  regiment  Landed  at  Annapohs, 
saved  the  frigate  "  Constitution,"  and  on  the  26th  reached 
Washington.  With  regard  to  this  regiment,  the  National  In- 
telligencer observed,  ''  We  doubt  whether  any  other  single 
regiment  in  the  country  could  furnish  such  a  ready  con- 
tingent to  reconstruct  a  steam-engine,  lay  a  rail  track,  and 
bend  the  sails  of  a  man-of-war."  On  the  1st  of  August, 
the  eighth,  after  rendering  useful  service,  returned  home  to 
Boston. 

The  first  three  months'  men  made  an  honorable  record. 
It  were  vain  to  attempt  to  sketch  their  services  in  these 
pages.  Still,  it  cannot  be  forgotten  that  "  they  were  the 
first  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the  president ;  the  first  to 
march  through  Baltimore  to  the  defence  of  the  Capitol ; 
the  first  to  shed  their  blood  for  the  maintenance  of  our 
government ;  the  first  to  open  the  new  route  to  Washing- 
ton by  way  of  Annapolis ;  the  first  to  land  on  the  soil 
of  Virginia,  and  hold  possession  of  the  most  important  for- 
tress in  the  Union  ;  the  first  to  make  the  voyage  of  the 
Potomac,  and  approach  the  federal  city  by  water,  as  they 
had  been  the  first  to  reach  it  by  land.  Their  record  is  one 
which  will  ever  redound  to  the  honor  of  Massachusetts, 
and  will  be  prized  among  her  richest  historic  treasures. 
These  men  have  added  new  splendor  to  our  revolutionary 
annals ;  and  the  brave  sons  who  were  shot  down  in  the 
streets  of  Baltimore  on  the  19th  of  April,  have  rendered 
doubly  sacred  the  day  when  the  green  sward  of  Lex- 
ington Common  was  drenched  with  the  blood  of  their 
fathers."  ^ 

Meantime  the  war  was  the  only  topic  discussed  at  home. 

'  Adjutant  General's  Keport,  1861. 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  493 

The  fireside,  the  public  press,  and  the  pulpit  gave  utterance 
to  only  one  voice,  —  that  attuned  to  Union  and  Freedom. 
Party  spirit  was  soothed,  political  dififerences  were  forgotten, 
and  the  past  was  buried  with  the  past.  "  Patriotic  citi- 
zens !  "  appealed  the  leading  democratic  newspaper  in  New 
England,  "  choose  you  which  you  will  serve,  the  world's  best 
hope,  —  our  noble  republican  government,  —  or  that  bottom- 
less pit,  social  anarchy.  Adjourn  other  issues  until  this  self- 
preserving  issue  is  settled."  ^  On  Sunday,  the  21st  of  April, 
thousands  assembled  in  the  Boston  ^lusic  Hall  to  listen 
to  the  burning  words  of  \Vendell  Phillips.  "  The  struggle 
now,"  said  he,  "  is,  not  of  opinion,  but  of  civilization. 
There  can  be  but  two  things  —  compromise  or  battle.  The 
integrity  of  the  North  scorns  the  first ;  the  general  forbear- 
ance of  nineteen  states  has  preceded  the  other.  The  South 
opened  with  a  cannon  shot,  and  Lincoln  showed  himself  at 
the  door.  The  war  is  not  of  aggression,  but  of  self-defence  ; 
and  Washington  becomes  the  Thermopylae  of  liberty  and 
justice.  Rather  than  surrender  it,  cover  every  foot  of 
ground  with  a  living  man.  Guard  it  with  a  million  of 
men,  and  empty  our  bank  vaults  to  pay  them.  Proclaim 
that  the  North  is  under  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  no  man 
is  in  chains."  The  whole  commonwealth  was  alive  to  the 
necessities  of  the  hour.  New  companies  were  constantly 
forming.  In  every  town  and  village,  old  and  young,  rich 
and  poor,  were  united  with  willing  hands  and  hearts  in 
the  defence  of  one  grand  cause.  The  spirit  of  the  fore- 
fathers still  lingered  with  the  sons. 

On  the  od  of  May  the  president  called  for  thirty-nine 
regiments  of  infantry  and  one  regiment  of  cavalry,  to  serve 
for   three   years,   or   during   the    war.     At   this   time   there 

'  Boston  Post,  April  16,  1861. 


494  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

were  in  Massachusetts  alone  upward  of  ten  thousand  men  or- 
ganized into  companies,  who  had  enlisted  as  militia.  Toward 
the  last  of  the  month  a  general  order  was  issued,  fixing  the 
quota  of  the  state  at  six  regiments  of  infantry,  to  be  or- 
ganized as  prescribed  by  the  war  department.  The  plan 
for  the  organization  was,  substantially,  as  follows.  "  Each 
regiment  was  to  be  composed  of  ten  companies,  each  com- 
pany to  have  a  captain,  two  lieutenants,  and  ninety-eight 
enlisted  men.  The  field  and  staff  officers  of  a  regiment 
were  to  consist  of  a  colonel,  lieutenant  colonel,  major,  adju- 
tant, quartermaster,  assistant  surgeon,  sergeant  major,  quar- 
termaster sergeant,  commissary  sergeant,  hospital  steward, 
two  principal  musicians,  and  a  band  of  twenty-four  musi- 
cians." ^  This  system  of  regimental  organization  was  ob- 
served during  the  whole  of  the  war,  with  the  exception 
that  an  additional  surgeon  was  allowed,  and  regimental 
bands  were  discontinued. 

The  six  regiments  selected  to  complete  this  requisition 
comprised  the  first,  which  left  the  state  on  the  15th  of 
June,  and  was  the  first  three  years'  regiment  that  reached 
Washington  in  the  war ;  the  second,  which  left  INIassachu- 
setts  on  the  8th  of  July ;  the  seventh,  which  left  for  Wash- 
ington on  the  11th  of  July;  the  ninth,  which  was  recruited 
on  Long  Island,  in  Boston  Harbor,  and  departed  on  the 
24th  of  June ;  the  tenth,  which  was  sent  forward  on  the 
25th  of  Jul}',  and  the  eleventh,  which  left  for  Washington 
on  the  24th  of  June.  Meantime  permission  had  come  to 
send  forward  ten  additional  regiments.  This  caused  gen- 
eral satisfaction,  and  orders  were  given  to  organize  and 
equip  them. 

On  the  14th  of  May  the  governor  called  an  extra  session 

'  Schouler,  Hist,  of  Mass,  in  the  Civil  War,  i.  169. 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIITL    WAR.  495 

of  the  legislature.  In  his  address  he  spoke  of  the  nature 
of  the  war,  recapitulated  the  services  of  the  Massachusetts 
troops,  recounted  the  expenses  which  had  been  incurred, 
and  briefly  alluded  to  the  present  condition  of  the  state. 
Up  to  this  time  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  new  com- 
panies had  been  organized.  He  thought  that  there  was 
need  for  a  state  camp  for  military  instruction,  but  which 
encampment  "  should  be  confined  to  those  enlisting  them- 
selves for  an  extended  term  of  actual  service."  The  gov- 
ernor's recommendations  were  approved  almost  unanimously 
by  the  legislature. 

The  idea  of  a  state  camp  was  subsequently  abandoned, 
for  after  the  six  regiments  first  called  for  by  the  secretary 
of  war  had  left  the  state,  and  ten  more  had  been  accepted, 
there  was  a  constant  demand,  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
for  all  the  troops  that  could  be  raised.  Instead  of  a  state 
camp,  however,  several  temporary  camps  were  formed  in 
different  parts  of  the  state ;  such  were  "  Camp  Cameron," 
in  North  Cambridge,  "Camp  Andrew,"  in  West  Roxbury, 
"  Camp  Old  Colony,"  near  Taunton,  and  others. 

When  leave  was  given  to  send  forward  ten  more  regi- 
ments, in  addition  to  those  demanded  in  the  first  requi- 
sition of  the  secretary  of  war,  measures  were  taken  to 
consolidate  the  companies  in  different  parts  of  the  state 
into  regiments.  The  first  of  these  was  the  twelfth  regi- 
ment, familiarly  known  as  the  Webster  regiment,  which 
was  recruited  at  Fort  Warren,  and  left  Boston  on  the  23d 
of  July.  The  thirteenth  regiment,  of  which  the  fourth 
battalion  of  rifles  formed  the  nucleus,  was  recruited  at  Fort 
Independence,  and,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Samuel 
H.  Leonard,  left  the  state  on  the  30th  of  July.  The  four- 
teenth regiment  was   recruited   at  Fort  Warren  by  Colonel 


496  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

William  B.  Greene,  and  left  Boston  on  the  7th  of  August. 
This  regiment  was  afterward  changed,  and  during  the  war 
■was  known  as  the  first  regiment  Massachusetts  heavy  ar- 
tillery. The  fifteenth  regiment  was  recruited  in  the  county 
of  Worcester,  and  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Charles 
Devens,  Jr.,  left  the  state  on  the  8th  of  August.  The  six- 
teenth regiment  was  organized  in  Middlesex  countj^  and 
under  ijie  command  of  Colonel  Powell  T.  Wyman,  de- 
parted for  the  front  on  the  17th  of  August. 

The  seventeenth  regiment  was  recruited  at  "  Camp  Schou- 
ler,"  Lynnfield,  and  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Thomas 
J.  C.  Amory,  departed  for  the  front  on  the  23d  of  August. 
The  eighteenth  regiment,  recruited  at  Readville,  Avas  com- 
posed of  men  from  Norfolk,  Bristol,  and  Plymouth  counties. 
James  Barnes,  of  Springfield,  was  commssioned  colonel,  and 
the  regiment  left  for  Washington  on  the  24th  of  August. 
The  nineteenth  regiment,  composed  of  Essex  county  men, 
was  recruited  at  Lynnfield,  and  under  the  command  of  Colo- 
nel Edward  W.  Hinks,  left  for  Washington  on  the  28th 
of  August.  The  twentieth  regiment  was  recruited  at  Read- 
ville, and  under  the  command  of  Colonel  William  R.  Lee, 
of  Roxbury,  left  for  Washington  on  the  4th  of  September. 
This  was  one  of  the  marked  regiments  of  the  state.  The 
twenty-first  regiment  was  recruited  at  Worcester ;  Augustus 
Morse,  of  Leominster,  was  commissioned  colonel,  and  the 
regiment  left  for  Annapolis  on  the  22d  of  August.  The 
twenty-second  regiment  was  recruited  by  Senator  Wilson, 
and  organized  at  Lynnfield,  and  left  for  Washington  on  the 
8th  of  October.  The  twenty-third  regiment  was  recruited 
at  Lynnfield,  and  under  the  command  of  Colonel  John 
Kurtz,  of  Boston,  left  for  Annapolis  on  the  11th  of  Novem- 
ber.    The  twenty-fourth  regiment  was  recruited  by  Colonel 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIllL    WAR.  497 

Thomas  G.  Stevenson,  at  Rcadville,  and  left  for  Annapolis  on 
the  IHh  of  December.  The  twenty-fifth  regiment  was  raised 
in  Worcester  county,  and  commanded  Ly  Colonel  Edward 
Upton,  of  Fitchburg,  left  for  Annapolis  on  tlie  31st  of  Oc- 
tober. The  twenty-sixth  regiment  was  recruited  at  Lowell, 
and  was  attached  to  ^lajor  General  Butler's  division,  designed 
to  attack  New  Orleans.  !Many  men  in  this  regiment  be- 
longed formerly  to  the  sixth  in  the  three  months'  service. 
Commanded  by  Colonel  Edward  F.  Jones,  of  Peppercll, 
the  regiment  left  for  Ship  Island,  Mississippi,  on  the  21st 
of  November.  The  twenty-seventh  regiment  was  recruited 
at  Springfield,  and  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Horace 
C.  Lee,  left  for  Annapolis  on  the  2d  of  November.  The 
twenty-eighth  regiment  was  recruited  at  Cambridge ;  its  offi- 
cers and  men  were  mostly  of  Lish  birth,  and  the  regiment 
did  not  quit  the  state  until  January,  18G2.  The  twenty- 
ninth  regiment  was  composed  of  seven  companies,  origi- 
nally raised  as  militia  in  the  three  months'  service,  and  of 
three  new  companies.  Ebenezer  W.  Peirce,  of  Freetown, 
was  commissioned  colonel. 

Besides  these  regiments  of  infantry,  a  battalion  of  infan- 
try for  three  years'  service  was  organized,  and  sent  to  Fort 
Warren  for  garrison  duty.  Two  companies  of  sharpshooters 
were  also  recruited,  in  which  were  many  of  the  best  marks- 
men of  the  commonwealth.  The  first  regiment  of  cavalry, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Robert  Williams,  left  for  the  seat 
of  war  in  December.  The  first  light  battery  was  recruited 
at  Cambridge  by  Captain  Josiah  Porter, "and  left  for  AVash- 
ington  on  the  3d  of  October.  The  second  battery,  re- 
cruited at  Quincy,  by  Captain  Ormond  F.  Ninrs  left  for 
Washington  on  the  8th  of  August.  The  third  battery,  re- 
cruited at  Lynnfield,  by  Captain  Dexter  H.  Fullett,  left  the 
63 


498  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

state  on  the  7th  of  October.  The  fourth  battery  was  re- 
cruited at  Lowell,  by  Captain  Charles  H.  Manning,  of  Salem, 
and  left  Boston  for  Louisiana  on  the  21st  of  Kovember. 
The  fifth  battery  was  recruited  at  Lynnfield  and  at  Read- 
ville,  by  Captain  Max.  Eppendorff,  of  New  Bedford,  and  left 
for  Washington,  with  orders  to  report  to  Major  General 
McClellan. 

The  foregoing  regiments  and  batteries  of  three  years'  vol- 
imteers  comprised  twenty-seven  thousand  ofi&cers  and  men, 
and  were  organized,  equipped,  and  sent  to  the  front,  all 
within  six  months.  Including  the  three  months'  men,  the 
number  of  soldiers  supplied  by  Massachusetts  from  the  16th 
day  of  April  to  the  31st  day  of  December,  Avas  thirty 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-six  officers  and  men. 
This  number  excludes  the  six  companies  raised  in  Cam- 
bridge, Cambridgeport,  Newburyport,  Milford,  Lawrence, 
and  Boston,  which  joined,  in  New  York,  what  was  called 
the  Mozart  Regiment,  and  Sickles's  Brigade  ;  and  also  the 
two  regiments  recruited  by  General  Butler  at  Lowell  and 
Pittsfield,  and  which  were  originally  known  as  the  Wes- 
tern Bay  State  and  the  Eastern  Bay  State  regiments ;  also 
the  three  hundred  men,  known  as  the  Union  Coast  Guard, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Wardrop,  of  the  third  Massachusetts 
regiment. 

On  the  21st  of  October  was  fought  the  battle  of  Ball's 
Bluff.  In  this  engagement,  the  fifteenth  and  twentieth 
Massachusetts  regiments  played  a  prominent  part,  and  suf- 
fered severely,  especially  the  latter  regiment.  The  news 
of  the  disastrous  defeat  carried  sorrow  into  very  many 
families  of  the  state,  and  its  effect  upon  the  country  was 
equally  depressing.  At  this  trying  hour,  Governor  Andrew 
wrote,  "  Every  drop  of  blood  shed  by  our   braves  will   be 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN   THE   CIVIL    WAR.  499 

avenged,  not  by  the  cruelty  of  savage  warriors,  but  by 
the  stern  resolve  of  Christians,  patriots,  and  pliilanthro- 
pists,  who  soon  will  understand  the  barbarism  of  our  foes, 
and  will  know  what  price  to  ask  for  the  lives  of  those  who 
fall." 

In  the  last  month  of  this  memorable  year,  the  legisla- 
ture of  Maryland  addressed  a  letter  to  the  governor  of 
Massachusetts,  which  is  worthy  of  being  here  inserted. 
*'  The  Committee  on  Militia  have  instructed  me,  as  their 
chairman,  to  carry  out  an  order  passed  by  the  House,  a 
few  days  since,  and  referred  to  them,  to  confer  with  you, 
and  learn  the  condition  of  the  widows  and  orphans,  or  any 
dependents  on  those  patriots  who  were  so  brutally  mur- 
dered in  the  riot  of  the  19th  of  April.  In  obedience  to 
that  order,  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  state  that  the 
loyal  people  of  Maryland,  and  especially  of  the  city  of 
Baltimore,  after  long  suffering,  are  at  length  able,  through 
a  Union  legislature,  to  put  themselves  in  a  proper  relation 
to  the  government  and  the  country.  In  effecting  the 
latter,  they  feel  their  first  duty  is  to  Massachusetts.  They 
are  anxious  to  wijje  out  the  foul  blot  of  the  Baltimore  riot, 
as  far  as  it  can  be  wiped  out,  and  as  soon  as  possible." 
In  repl}^  the  governor  promised  to  institute  inquiries  in 
a  proper  manner,  and  added,  "  The  past  cannot  be  for- 
gotten ;  but  it  can  be,  and  will  be,  forgiven  ;  and,  in  the 
good  providence  of  God,  I  believe  that  the  day  is  not 
distant  when  the  blood  that  was  shed  at  Baltimore  by 
those  martyrs  to  a  cause  as  holy  as  any  for  which  sword 
was  ever  drawn,  shall  be  known  to  have  cemented,  in  an 
eternal  union  of  S3'mpathy,  affection,  and  nationality,  the 
sister  states  of  Maryland  and  Massachusetts."  The  legis- 
lature  of    Maryland   appropriated    seven    thousand   dollars, 


600  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  transmitted  this  amount  to  the  governor  of  Massachu- 
setts, Avho  caused  it  to  be  distributed  to  the  families  of  those 
who  fell,  and  to  the  wounded  who  survived,  on  the  lament- 
able 19th  of  April. 

The  annual  election  was  held  on  Tuesday,  the  5th  of 
November.  Governor  Andrew  was  re-elected ;  the  legis- 
lature was  largely  republican,  ai>d  unanimous  for  a  vigor- 
ous prosecution  of  the  war.  The  legislature  met  on  the 
1st  of  January,  1862.  In  his  address,  the  governor  "  made 
a  broad  survey  of  the  military  field  of  observation  and 
the  part  which  Massachusetts  had  taken  in  the  war  during 
the  year  preceding.  The  amount  of  money  expended  by 
the  state  for  war  purposes  was  three  million  three  hun- 
dred eighty-four  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-nine  dollars 
and  eighty-eight  cents,  of  which  there  had  been  reimbursed 
by  the  United  States  the  sum  of  nine  hundred  eighty-seven 
thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  dollars  and  fifty-four 
cents,  leaving  an  unpaid  balance  of  about  two  million  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  This  was  exclusive  of  the  amount 
paid  by  the  several  cities  and  towns  of  the  commonwealth 
for  the  support  of  the  families  of  soldiers  under  the  act 
passed  at  the  extra  session  of  1861,  which  amounted,  in  the 
aggregate,  to  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  to  be  reimbursed  from  the  treasury  of  the  state, 
and  raised  by  direct  taxation  upon  the  property  in  the  com- 
monwealth. Upwards  of  half  a  million  of  dollars  had  been 
expended  in  the  purchase  of  Enfield  rifles,  and  about  twenty- 
four  thousand  dollars  for  English  infantry  equipments.  Five 
thousand  more  Enfield  rifles  had  been  contracted  for  in  Eng- 
land ;  but  the  English  government  had  placed  an  interdict 
against  the  export  of  arms  and  munitions  of  war  to  this 
country,  which  prevented,  for  a  time,  the  completion  of  the 


M ASS  A  CH  (/SETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  501 

contract.  The  governor  also  referred  at  considerable  length 
to  the  coast  defences  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  exertions 
which  he  had  made  to  have  them  placed  in  ))roper  con- 
dition." ^ 

In  the  first  six  months  of  this  year,  four  thousand  five 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  men  were  recruited,  and  sent  to 
the  front;  also  a  company  of  light  artillery,  known  as 
Cook's  Batter}',  three  companies  of  unattached  cavalry,  three 
companies  of  infantr}-,  to  complete  the  organization  of  the 
twentj-'Uinth  regiment ;  the  twent3--eightli  regiment,  which 
left  for  South  Carolina  on  the  8th  of  January ;  the  sixth 
battery,  which  sailed  for  the  Department  of  the  Gulf  on 
the  7th  of  February ;  the  thirty-first  regiment,  which  sailed 
for  Fortress  Monroe  on  the  21st  of  February,  and  from 
thence  to  Ship  Island,  Department  of  the  Gulf ;  seven  com- 
panies, comprising  the  Fort  Warren  battalion,  and  after- 
ward known  as  the  thirty-second  regiment,  which  left  for 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  on  the  2Gth  of  May ;  two  com- 
panies for  the  fourteenth  regiment,  subsequently  changed 
to  the  first  ^Massachusetts  heavy  artillery,  which  departed 
for  Virginia  on  the  1st  of  March.  Other  single  companies 
were  mustered  into  service  before  midsummer. 

In  the  spring,  the  position  of  the  Massachusetts  regiments 
and  batteries  was  as  follows :  The  first,  seventh,  ninth, 
tenth,  eleventh,  fifteenth,  sixteenth,  eighteenth,  nineteenth, 
twentieth,  twenty-second,  twenty-ninth,  and  thirty-second 
regiments  of  infantry,  the  first,  third,  and  fifth  batteries, 
and  the  two  companies  of  sharpshooters,  were  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac;  the  second,  twelfth,  and  thirteenth  regi- 
ments of  infantry  were  in  the  Army  of  Virginia,  in  the 
upper    waters   of  the  Potomac ;    the   seventeenth,    twenty- 

'  Schouler,  i.  28G. 


502  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

first,  twenty-third,  twenty-fourth,  twenty-fifth,  and  twenty- 
seventh  regiments  of  infantry,  were  in  General  Burnside's 
army,  in  North  Carolina;  the  twenty-sixth,  thirtieth,  and 
thirty-first  regiments  of  infantry,  three  unattached  companies 
of  cavalry,  the  second  and  sixth  companies  of  light  artillery, 
were  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf,  in  Louisiana ;  the 
twenty-eighth  regiment  of  infantry  and  the  first  regiment 
of  cavalry  Avere  in  the  Army  of  the  South,  in  South  Caro- 
lina ;  the  first  regiment  of  heavy  artillery  was  stationed 
in  forts  near  Washington,  on  the  Virginia  side  of  the 
Potomac ;  the  eleventh  light  artillery  was  stationed  at 
Fortress  Monroe  ;  and  the  eighth,  or  Cook's,  near  Wash- 
ington. Thus,  at  the  beginning  of  one  of  tlie  most  event- 
ful years  in  the  history  of  the  war,  the  soldiers  of 
Massachusetts  Avere  stationed  in  array  of  battle  —  from  the 
valley  of  the  Shenandoah  to  the  lowlands  of  Louisiana. 
In  1861  they  were  the  first  to  reach  the  capital,  and 
to  plant  the  Union  colors  upon  the  soil  of  Virginia.  In 
1862  they  were  the  first  to  land  in  North  Carolina,  and  to 
carry  the  flag  into  the  far-off  plains  of  Mississippi  and 
Louisiana.  Before  the  close  of  this  year,  they  were  also 
the  first  to  land  on  the  soil  of  Texas,  and  to  take  pos- 
session of  Galveston. 

In  July,  1862,  the"  president  issued  a  call  for  three  hun- 
dred thousand  men,  to  serve  for  three  years,  or  to  the  end 
of  the  Avar.  A  few  days  later  the  governor  called  "  for 
fifteen  thousand  volunteers,  to  form  new  regiments,  and 
to  fill  the  ranks  of  those  of  this  commonwealtli  now  at  the 
seat  of  war."  At  this  time,  the  thirty-second,  thirty-third, 
thirty-fourth,  and  thirty-fifth  regiments  Avere  being  recruited 
in  the  state.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  Avas  falling  back 
on  the  James  River;  Banks's  command  held  the  upper  waters 


MASSACHUSETTS  IX  THE   CIVIL    ]VAR.  TjOS 

of  (he  Potomac  ;  Buvnsiclc's  army  was  in  North  Carolina  ; 
Butler's  command  occupied  New  Orleans,  and  ollur  inijior- 
tant  posts  in  Louisiana.  Except  befurc  Richmond,  success 
had  crowned  the  Union  arms,  and  never  was  the  war  spirit 
more  determined  and  buoyant,  and  never  was  recruiting 
more  active. 

"Within  two  months  from  tlic  day  when  the  call  for 
fifteen  thousand  volunteers  was  issued,  upward  of  four 
thousand  men  had  been  recruited  for  the  old  regiments 
at  the  seat  of  war,  and  sent  forward.  Nine  new  regiments 
—  from  the  tlnrty-sixth  to  the  forty-fourlh  —  and  two  new 
batteries,  the  ninth  and  tenth,  were  recruited  and  organized 
within  'the  same  period.  Within  three  months  from  the  issu- 
ing of  the  order  Massachusetts  had  furnished  her  contin- 
gent of  fifteen  thousand  men,  to  whom,  it  ought  to  be  said, 
not  a  dollar  of  bount}^  was  paid  by  the  commonwealth. 
On  the  4th  of  August  the  president  called  for  throe  hun- 
dred thousand  more,  to  serve  for  nine  months.  The  pro- 
portion assigned  to  Massachusetts  Avas  nineteen  thousand 
and  ninety  men,  who  Averc  to  be  raised  by  "  draft,  in  ac- 
cordance with  orders  from  the  war  department,  and  the 
laws  of  the  several  states."  ]\Iassachusetts  furnished  her 
contingent  within  a  reasonable  time  by  voluntary  enlist- 
ments, and  thus  a  draft  was  avoided. 

On  the  15th  of  September  was  fought  the  great  battle 
of  Antietam,  in  which  the  great  majorit}'  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts regiments  and  batteries  were  engaged.  The  fatali- 
ty which  attended  both  rank  and  file  Avas  terrible.  The 
result  of  the  contest  was  a  victory  for  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  over  the  army  of  General  Lee.  Dr.  Hitchcock, 
of  Fitchburg,  was  requested  by  Governor  Andrew  to  obtain 
from  General  McClellan    the   transfer  of  the  Massachusetts 


50^  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

soldiers  to  the  state  hospital  for  treatment.  "  The  con- 
sent of  the  secretary  of  war,"  says  Dr.  Hitchcock,  "  and 
the  willing  word,  but  non-action,  of  General  McClellan, 
failed  in  the  fullest  sense  to  realize  the  urgent  request 
of  Governor  Andrew  in  reference  to  our  men.  Many  of 
our  soldiers  were,  however,  brought  home  from  that  bloody 
field,  and  tenderly  cared  for  in  the  hospitals  of  the  state 
and  at  the  homes  of  the  men."  In  the  fall  election  of  this 
year,  Governor  Andrew  was  re-chosen  by  a  very  large 
majority. 

At  length  the  quota  of  the  state  was  filled.  In  less  than 
five  months  upward  of  tliirty-three  thousand  men  had  been 
recruited,  and  sent  to  the  war.  The  nine  months'  regi- 
ments departed  as  follows  :  The  third  regiment  sailed  for 
North  Carolina,  under  Colonel  Silas  P.  Richmond,  on  the 
od  of  October  ;  the  fourth  regiment,  under  Colonel  Henry 
Walker,  left  on  the  17th  of  December  to  join  General 
Banks  at  New  Orleans  ;  the  fifth  regiment,  under  Colonel 
George  H.  Peirson,  sailed  for  North  Carolina  about  the 
same  time  ;  the  sixth  regiment,  under  Colonel  Albert  S. 
Follansbee,  left  for  Washington  on  the  1st  of  September  ; 
the  eighth  regiment,  under  Colonel  Frederick  J.  CofiQa,  sailed 
on  the  7th  of  November  for  Newbern,  North  Carolina. 
All  of  the  preceding  regiments  had  served  in  the  three 
months'  term  in  the  beginning  of  the  war.  The  forty- 
second  regiment,  under  Colonel  Isaac  S.  Burrill,  left  on 
the  19th  of  November  for  New  Orleans ;  the  forty-third 
regiment,  under  Colonel  Charles  L.  Holbrook,  on  the  21th 
of  October  sailed  for  North  Carolina ;  the  forty-fourth 
regiment,  under  Colonel  Francis  L.  Lee,  sailed  on  the  22d 
of  October  for  North  Carolina ;  the  forty-fifth  regiment, 
under  Colonel  Charles  R.  Codman,  sailed   on    the    24th  of 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  50:> 

October  for  North  Caroliiui  ;  the  forty-sixth  regiment,  under 
Colonel  George  Bowler,  also  siijled  for  North  Carolina  ;  the 
forty-seventh  regiment,  under  Colonel  Lucius  1>.  Marsli, 
left  on  the  29th  of  November,  to.  report  to  General  Banks 
at  New  Orleans  ;  the  forty-eighth  regiment,  under  Colonel 
Eben  F.  Stowe,  left  in  December  for  the  Department  of 
the  Gulf;  the  forty-ninth  regiment,  under  Colonel  Wil- 
liam F.  Bartlett,  left  on  the  21st  of  November  for  New 
Orleans  ;  the  fiftieth  regiment,  under  Colonel  Carlos  P.  Ces- 
ser, sailed  on  the  19th  of  November,  with  orders  to  report 
to  General  Banks ;  the  fifty-first  regiment,  under  Colonel 
Augustus  B.  R.  Sprague,  left  on  the  lllh  of  November  for 
North  Carolina ;  the  fifty-second  regiment,  under  Colonel 
Henry  A.  Greeuleaf,  sailed  on  the  19th  of  November,  to 
report  to  General  Banks  at  New  Orleans  ;  the  fifty-third, 
regiment,  under  Colonel  John  W.  Kimball,  sailed  on  the 
18th  of  November  for  New  Orleans.  The  eleventh  light 
battery,  under  command  of  Captain  Edward  J.  Jones,  left 
on  the  od  of  October,  to  report  to  the  Adjutant  General 
at  Washington.  This  was  the  only  nine  months'  battery 
raised  in  the  state. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  18G2,  Massachusetts  had  in 
active  service  fifty-three  regiments  of  infantry,  one  regi- 
ment and  three  unattached  companies  of  cavalry,  twelve 
companies  of  light  artillery,  two  companies  of  sharpshooters, 
and  three  companies  of  heavy  artillery.  The  number  of 
three  years'  volunteers  who  had  entered  the  service  from 
Massachusetts  from  the  beginning  of  the  war  to  Decem- 
cember  31,  1862,  was  forty-six  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
twenty  ;  number  of  nine  months'  men,  nineteen  thousand 
and  eighty  ;  number  of  three  months'  men,  three  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  thirty -six,  —  making  a  total  of  sixly- 
64 


506  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

nine  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-six  men.  "Within 
the  same  period  of  time,  the  state  also  furnished  thirteen 
thousand  six  hundred  and  eighteen  men  for  the  navy. 

The  civil  war  had  now  lasted  two  3- ears,  without  any  very 
decisive  results.  On  the  22d  of  September  the  president 
had  issued  the  proclamation  of  freedom  to  the  enslaved,  and 
before  the  close  of  the  year  186B,  Avhat  had  been  prophe- 
sied by  earnest  men  became  a  truth  — "  Africa  was  car- 
ried into  the  war,"  the  black  man  was  made  a  soldier,  and 
for  the  first  time  the  flag  sj'mbolized  liberty  for  all  men. 
Massachusetts  recruited,  and  sent  forth  to  the  war,  two 
regiments  of  colored  troops,  the  first  that  were  organized 
in  an}^  of  the  loyal  states. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1863,  only  the  Rappahannock  sepa- 
rated the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from  the  rebel  forces.  Major 
General  Joseph  Hooker  had  succeeded  Generals  McClellan 
and  Burnside  in  command,  and  great  hopes  of  his  success 
were  entertained.  Hooker  was  a  special  favorite  of  Gov- 
ernor Andrew,  and  of  the  soldiers  of  Massachusetts.  The 
governor  wrote  him  a  letter  on  the  26th  of  January,  con- 
gratulating him  upon  his  appointment,  and  advising  him 
to  go  round  and  speak  a  few  kind  words  to  "  every  single 
regiment,  —  every  one.  Tell  the  boj-s  that  all  have  a 
country ;  all  will  hereafter  have  a  history ;  and  that  a 
hundred  years  hence,  the  children  by  the  firesides  will 
be  charmed  by  the  stories  their  mothers  will  tell  them  of 
the  valor  and  manliness  of  the  humblest  private  who  served 
well  or  died  bravel3\"  The  letter  concludes,  "  I  am  anti- 
slavery  ;  but  may  I  say,  that  at  first  I  would  not  allude 
to  the  proclamation.  When  the  secretary  of  war  shall,  by 
general  order,  promulgate  it,  which  will  be  done  shortly, 
let  it  be  read  at  the  head  of  every  regiment ;  and  I  would 


AfASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  iOl 

then,  by  word  and  deed,  make  it  as  efficient  and  vital  as 
tlie  bayonet  of  the  soklier  and  the  voice  of  the  commander. 
You  can  immediately  and  strongly  commit  every  officer  to 
the  policy  and  orders  of  his  government ;  and  the  men  will 
easily  see  that  while  their  wives  give  up  their  husbands, 
their  fathers  give  up  their  sons,  to  the  hazards  of  war, 
it  is  only  the  merest  justice  that  rebel  masters  should  yield 
up  their  slaves,  and  not  compel  them  to  be  rebels  too.  You 
will,  I  know,  general,  pardon,  and  ascribe  to  my  friendly 
interest  and  my  confidence  in  your  chivalrous  character, 
the  apparent  freedom  of  this  note  and  its  suggestions." 

Mention  has  just  been  made  of  the  colored  regiments. 
Authority  to  recruit  a  colored  regiment  in  ^Massachusetts 
was  received  from  the  secretary  of  war  by  an  order  dated 
January  26,  1863.  The  regiment  was  filled  to  the  maxi- 
mum on  the  14th  of  May,  and  soon  afterward  a  second 
regiment  was  organized.  These  tw^o  colored  regiments  were 
designated  the  fifty-fourth  and  fifty-fifth.  Robert  G.  Shaw, 
a  captain  in  the  second  regiment  of  Massachusetts  infantry, 
was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  fifty-fourth.  On  the  28th 
of  jVIay  the  regiment  left  Boston  for  South  Carolina,  and 
reached  Hilton  Head  on  the  3d  of  June.  On  the  18th 
of  July  it  led  the  advance  at  Fort  Wagner,  in  which 
ensrafrement  Colonel  Shaw  was  killed.     The   fiftv-fifih  regi- 


'0"0 


ment  left  Boston  on  the  21st  of  June  for  Korth  Carolina. 
About  this  time  General  Banks  was  in  command  of  the 
Department  of  the  Gulf,  General  Hooker,  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  and  General  Foster,  of  North  Carolina. 
All  of  the  nine  months'  regiments,  except  the  sixth,  were 
in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf,  and  North  Carolina.  The 
sixth  regiment  was  in  Virginia.  In  July,  General  Banks 
captured  Port  Hudson,  on   the    Mississippi ;    and  on  the  2d 


508  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  3d  daj's  of  the  same  month,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
having,  hy  forced  marches,  advanced  into  Pennsylvania,  met 
the  rebels  at  Gettysburg,  and  gained  a  most  important  vic- 
tory. On  the  4th,  General  Grant  captured  Vicksburg ;  and 
thus,  within  four  days,  occurred  the  three  most  important 
events  which  had  happened  during  the  war.  The  enemy 
were  discouraged,  while  the  Union  army  gained  fresh 
strength  and  valor.  In  June,  General  Meade  superseded 
General  Hooker  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

Something  must  here  be  said  relative  to  the  services  of 
the  nine  months'  regiments  from  the  time  they  left  the 
state  until  their  return.  First,  of  the  third  regiment,  which 
started  on  the  11th  of  December,  1862,  from  Newbern, 
North  Carolina,  on  the  "  expedition  to  Goldsborough,"  and 
fought  in  the  battles  of  Kinston,  Whitehall,  and  Golds- 
borough.  On  the  6th  of  March,  the  regiment  having  been 
attached  to  Colonel  Jourdan's  brigade,  joined  the  expedi- 
tion into  Jones  and  Onslow  counties ;  on  the  8th  of  April, 
met  the  enemy  at  Blount's  Creek  ;  and  on  the  16th,  having 
joined  a  column  under  General  Prince,  forced  the  rebels 
to  evacuate  their  position  in  front  of  Washington,  North  Car- 
olina. On  the  26th  of  June  it  was  mustered  out  of  service 
at  Boston. 

The  fourth  regiment  reached  New  Orleans  on  the  13th 
of  February,  1863,  and  departed  for  Baton  Rouge  on  the 
7th  of  March.  It  took  part  in  the  expedition  against 
Port  Hudson.  In  the  latter  part  of  April,  the  regiment 
was  doing  guard  duty  at  Brashear  City ;  remained  there 
until  the  last  of  May,  and  then  proceeded  to  Port  Hud- 
son, to  help  in  the  siege.  In  the  assault  on  the  14th  of 
June  the  regiment  lost  sixty-eight  killed  and  wounded. 
After   the   surrender  of  the  place,  the  regiment  performed 


MASS.lCffUSETTS  LV   THE    CTVIT.    WAR.  r,09 

garrison  clul}-  until  the  4lli  of  August.  On  tlie  24lli  of  tlio 
same  month  it  was  mustered  out,  having  served  over  eleven 
months  at  the  seat  of  -war. 

Tlie  fifth  }'eginient  proceeded  from  Boston  direct  to  New- 
born, arriving  there  on  tlie  oOth  of  October,  18G2.  On 
the  2d  of  November,  under  command  of  General  Foster, 
it  marched  to  Williamston,  and  on  the  14th  fought  the 
rebels,  and  drove  them  toward  Kinston.  On  tlic  lotli  of 
December  the  regiment  took  part  in  the  l)atth;  <>f  White- 
hall, and  on  the  21st,  General  Foster  issued  an  order  direct- 
ing: the  regiment  to  inscribe  on  its  banners  the  names  of  the 
battles  of  Kinston,  "Whitehall,  and  Goldsborough.  From 
the  21st  of  January  until  the  18th  of  March  the  regiment 
was  employed  on  fortifications.  On  the  8th  of  April  the 
regiment  joined  an  expedition  to  Washington,  Noith  Caro- 
lina, and  was  mustered  out  on  the  2d  of  July,  18Go, 

The  sixth  regiment  first  experienced  war  at  Suffolk,  "N'ir- 
ginia,  on  the  17th  of  September,  1862.  On  the  29th  of  the 
following  January  it  met  the  enemy  near  Blackwater,  and 
fought  for  two  hours.  On  the  lltli  of  April,  Suffolk  Avas  be- 
sieged by  a  large  force  under  General  Longstreet,  and  for 
twenty-three  days  a  continual  skirmishing  was  kept  up,  dur- 
ing which  the  regiment  was  severely  exposed.  From  tlie 
13th  of  May  until  the  2Gth,  the  regiment  saw  active  duty, 
then  returned  to  Lowell,  and  was  mustered  out  of  service  on 
the  3d  of  June.  The  second  campaign  of  the  Massachusetts 
sixth  was  as  honorable  and  remarkable  as  its  first. 

The  eighth  regiment,  having  arrived  at  Newbern,  was 
assigned  to  the  second  brigade,  first  division.  From  this 
time  onward,  until  the  last  of  March,  the  regiment  per- 
formed garrison  duty.  In  April,  it  met  and  engaged  the 
enemv  at    Blount's   Creek  ;  "during    May  it  was    encamped. 


510  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  on  the  29th  of  Jul}-  it  returned  to  the  state,  and 
on  the  Tth  of  the  month  following  was  mustered  out. 

The  forty-second  regiment  arrived  at  New  Orleans  on 
the  16th  of  December,  1862.  In  the  Galveston  expedi- 
tion, Colonel  Burrill,  with  companies  D,  G,  and  F  of 
the  regiment,  were  marched  off  prisoners  of  war.  The 
prisoners  were  sent  to  Houston ;  on  the  22d  of  January 
they  were  paroled  and  sent  down  to  the  Union  lines.  Mean- 
time the  seven  remaining*  companies  were  attached  to  the 
second  brigade,  and  performed  valuable  service.  On  the 
21st  of  June  the  regiment  moved  to  New  Orleans  ;  from 
the  14th  to  the  29th  of  July  it  was  on  picket  duty,  on 
the  line  of  the  Opelousas  Railroad,  and  on  the  20th  of 
August  it  was  mustered  out  at  Readville. 

The  forty-third  regiment  reached  Newbern  about  the 
1st  of  November  ;  was  ordered  to,  and  remained  at  Beau- 
fort, until  the  4th  of  iNIarch  ;  played  a  prominent  part  in 
the  battles  of  Kinston  and  Goldsborough,  and  was  also 
under  fire  in  the  battle  of  Whitehall.  On  the  11th  of 
April  the  regiment  proceeded  to  the  blockade  on  Palmico 
River.  On  the  Tth  of  July  some  disatisfaction  arose  on 
account  of  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  service.  Gen- 
eral Nagiee  issued  an  order,  leaving  it  optional  with  the 
men  to  go  to  the  front  or  to  return  home.  All  but  two 
hundred  and  three  officers  and  men  voted  to  return.  They 
came  home  only  to  receive  a  cold  welcome.  Those  who 
remained  proceeded  to  Sandy  Hook,  Maryland,  where  they 
did  provost  duty.  They  were  mustered  out  in  Boston  on 
the  23d  of  July. 

The  forty-fourth  regiment  arrived  at  Newbern  on  the 
26th  of  October,  1862,  and  on  the  30th  started  with  the 
brigade    upon   the    Tarborough  expedition.     It  was   present 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN   THE   CIVH.    WAR.  511 

in  the  battle  of  Kiiiston  and  of  Whilchall ;  also  shared 
ill  the  various  expeditions  sent  out  from  Newbern.  In 
April,  18G3,  it  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Washington,  North 
Carolina;  did  provost  duty  at  Newbern  until  "the  Gtli  of 
June,  and  then,  returning  to  Readville,  was  mustered  out 
on  the  18th  of  the  same  month.  The  forty-fifth  regiment 
reached  Newbern  on  the  5tli  of  November,  and  was  in  camp 
until  the  12th  of  December.  Eight  companies  marched  in 
the  expedition  to  Goldsborough,  and  the  whole  regiment 
shared  in  the  battles  of  Kinston  and  Whitehall.  After 
performing  other  duties  of  importance,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out  at  Readville  on  the  8th  of  July. 

The  forty-sixth  regiment  arrived  at  Newbern  on  the  loth 
of  November,  and  remained  in  camp  until  the  organization 
of  the  Goldsborough  expedition,  in  which  it  took  part.  For 
a  long  time  afterward  the  regiment  w^as  engaged  upon 
fortifications.  On  the  21st  of  July  the  regiment  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Springfield.  The  forty -seventh  regiment  was 
in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf.  It  arrived  at  New  Orleans 
on  the  1st  of  July,  1863,  and  during  its  whole  term  of  ser- 
vice was  engaged  in  the  defences.  On  the  1st  of  September 
it  was  mustered  out  at  Readville.  The  forty-eighth  regi- 
ment arrived  at  New  Orleans  on  the  1st  of  February,  and 
was  sent  to  Baton  Rouge.  The  regiment  fought  valiantly 
in  the  attack  on  Port  Hudson,  and  shared  all  the  exposures 
and  hardships  of  the  siege.  On  the  13th  of  July  it  took 
part  in  the  engagement  at  Donaldsville,  and  on  the  3d  of 
JSeptember,  having  returned  home,  it  was  mustered  out  of 
service. 

The  fortj'-ninth  regiment  arrived  at  New  Orleans  about 
the  3d  of  February,  and  was  also  sent  to  Baton  Rouge. 
On  the  21st  of   May  it  participated  in  the  battle  of  Plains 


612  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Store,  and  later  was  in  the  front  supporting  batteries  dur- 
ing the  entire  investment  of  Port  Hudson.  On  the  21st 
of-  August  the  regiment  reached  home,  and  was  mustered 
out.  Its  record  is  worthy  of  the  revolutionary  fame  of 
Berkshire  men.  The  fiftieth  regiment  arrived  at  New 
Orleans  on  the  27th  of  January,  and  was  sent  to  Baton 
Rouge.  In  May  il  was  ordered  to  engage  in  the  assault 
on  Port  Hudson  ;  it  did  not,  however,  participate  in  the 
fight.  It  did  garrison  duty  within  the  fortifications  until 
the  29th  of  July ;  and  then,  returning  home,  was  mustered 
out  at  Wenham  on  the  24th  of  August. 

The  fifty-first  regiment  arrived  at  Beaufort,  North  Caro- 
lina, on  the  30th  of  November,  and  on  the  11th  of  Decem- 
ber took  part  in  the  Goldsborough  expedition.  It  met  the 
enemy  at  White  Oak  Creek  on  the  17th  of  January,  and 
drove  them  back.  On  the  28th  of  June  the  regiment  re- 
ported to  General  Dix,  who  was  about  to  move  upon  Rich- 
mond ;  but  he  ordered  it  back  to  Fortress  Monroe.  On 
the  6th  of  July  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Maryland 
Heights  ;  and  on  the  27th,  having  returned  home,  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  at  Worcester.  Tlie  fifty-second  regi- 
ment arrived  at  New  Orleans  in  December,  1862,  and  until 
the  following  March  was  stationed  at  Baton  Rouge.  It 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  Port  Hudson  campaign,  and 
was  mustered  out  of  service  on  the  14th  of  August.  The 
fifty-third  arrived  at  New  Orleans  on  the  30th  of  January ; 
on  the  6th  of  March  was  ordered  to  Baton  Rouge,  and 
subsequently  fought  bravely  in  the  assault  on  Port  Hud- 
son. Of  the  three  hundred  officers  and  men  who  joined 
in  the  assault  on  the  13th  of  June,  seven  officers  and 
seventy-nine  men  were  killed  and  wounded.  On  the  2d 
of  September  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Fitchburg. 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIVH   WAR.  513 

The  light  batter^-,  raised  and  commanded  by  Captain  Ed- 
ward J.  Jones,  ^yas  ordered  to  Wasliington  on  the  3d  of 
October,  18G2.  It  performed  important  duty  at  Fort  Lyons, 
in  Virginia,  and  in  November  made  several  rcconnoissances 
to  Gainesville,  IManassas,  and  in  the  direction  of  Warring- 
ton.  The  battery  continued  on  picket  and  scouting  duty 
until  the  18th  of  April,  and  was  then  ordered  to  report 
to  Colonel  Sickles,  at  Upton's  Hill,  Virginia.  In  May,  1863, 
it  returned  to  Boston,  and  was  mustered  out  of  service. 
The ,  following  statistics  will  farther  explain  the  record  of 
the  nine  months'  regiments :  Eight  hundred  and  nineteen 
died  from  wounds  received,  and  illness ;  one  hundred  and 
five  were  killed  in  battle ;  ten  hundred  and  thirtv-eisfht 
were  discharged  ;  thirty-eight  were  held  prisoners  of  war, 
and  seven  hundred  and  eighty-five  were  branded  as  desert- 
ers. It  ought  to  be  said,  to  the  honor  of  our  people,  that 
nearly  all  the  desertions  took  place  before  the  regiments 
left  the  state,  and  that  very  few  of  the  men  belonged  to 
Massachusetts. 

On  the  evening  of  the  14th  of  July,  1863,  a  body  of 
rioters,  hostile  to  the  Union,  and  sympathizing  with  the 
rebel  cause,  assembled  in  Boston,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  armory  of  the  eleventh  battery,  in  Cooper  Street.  The 
rioters  began  to  attack  the  armory  with  stones  and  other 
missiles.  Toward  midnight,  the  mob  increased  in  violence 
and  numbers  ;  but  the  soldiers,  in  their  comparatively  small 
room,  with  guns  loaded,  awaited  the  assault  without  trepida- 
tion. At  length  the  mob  wearied  of  throwing  stones,  and 
made  a  concerted  movement  to  force  open  the  doors,  and 
to  gain  posssession  of  the  few  pieces  of  cannon  inside. 
The  word  was  given  to  fiee!  Several  of  the  rioters 
were  killed,  and  many  more  were  wounded.  The  one  vol- 
65 


514  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ley  in  Cooper  Street  ended  the  riot,  although  noisy  demon- 
strations were  made  elsewhere. 

On  the  3d  of  September  the  democratic  party  held 
a  state  convention  at  Worcester.  The  convention  was  very 
large,  and  included  all  those  who  were  opposed  to  the 
national  administration,  and  the  stern  and  unfaltering  policy 
of  Governor  Andrew.  Judge  J.  G.  Abbott,  one  of  the 
speakers,  remarked,  "  Mr.  Lincoln  has  said  that  silence  on 
matters  pertaining  to  our  country,  though  not  a  crime,  is 
an  offence.  I  propose,  for  once,  to  be  obedient  to  the  com- 
mands of  his  excellency  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
I  will  agree  to  be  imprisoned  or  banished  if  I  do  keep 
silence  ;  and,  if  I  am,  I'll  speak,  so  help  me  God."  Dr. 
George  B.  Loring,  of  Salem,  acknowledged  himself  to  be 
a  true  democrat ;  he  was  for  state  rights,  and,  of  course, 
opposed  to  the  administration.  "  This  administration,"  he 
said,  "  will  pass  away  as  the  idle  wind.  Its  name  will 
live  only  in  history  as  an  administration  which  subverted 
the  rights  of  the  people,  until  they  rose  in  their  might  and 
overthrew  it."  The  speaker's  prophetic  vision  was  not  very 
remarkable  upon  this  occasion.  In  the  afternoon  the  con- 
vention declared  Henry  W.  Paine,  of  Cambridge,  its  nomi- 
nee for  governor.  "  I  find,"  said  Mr.  Paine,  in  his  speech 
accepting  the  nomination,  "  the  record  of  the  democracy 
has  pledged  that  party,  from  its  earliest  existence,  to  the 
perpetuity  of  the  Constitution,  of  the  Union,  and  of  the 
rights  of  the  states."  The  resolutions  passed  by  the  con- 
vention were  a  general  indictment  against  the  national  ad- 
ministration. 

On  the  24th  of  September  the  republican  convention 
met  at  Worcester,  and  nominated  a  state  ticket,  with  John  A. 
Andrew  at  its  head,  with  entire  unanimity.     The  speeches 


IfASSACnrSETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  .Olfj 

and  resolutions  on  lliis  occasion  "  breathed  but  one  sonti- 
mcnt,  and  expressed  but  one  purpose,  -which  was  to  sus- 
tain the  national  and  state  governments,  and  to  carry  on 
the  war  with  undiminished  vigor  until  peace  was  conquered, 
and  human  slavery  forever  rooted  out  of  the  land."  The 
election  took  place  in  November,  John  A.  Andrew  received 
upward  of  seventy  thousand  votes,  and  Henry  W.  Paine, 
upward  of  twenty-nine  thousand  votes.  Governor  Andrew's 
majority  was  fort3'-one  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine,  —  the  largest  he  had  received  in  any  election. 

On  the  17th  of  October  the  president  called  for  three 
hundred  thousand  volunteers.  The  contingent  of  i\Iassa- 
chusetts  was  fifteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-six. 
During  the  year  ending  with  December,  1863,  eleven  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  thirty-eight  volunteers  for  three  years' 
service  were  mustered  in;  also  three  thousand  six  hundred 
and  eighty-six  for  the  naval  service.  The  total  number  of 
men  furnished  by  the  commonwealth  for  both  arms  of  the 
service  up  to  December  30,  1863,  was  one  hundred  and 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-six. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1864,  Massachusetts  had  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States  thirty-six  regiments  of  infantry, 
three  regiments  of  cavalry,  two  regiments  of  heavy  artiller}', 
one  battalion  and  eight  unattached  companies  of  heavy  ar- 
tillery, twelve  batteries  of  light  artillery,  and  two  compa- 
nies of  sharpshooters.  In  his  address  before  the  legislature, 
on  the  8th  of  January,  Governor  Andrew  spoke  at  full 
length  of  the  military  affairs  of  the  commonwealth.  He 
closed  in  the  following  words :  — 

"  The  heart  swells  with  unwonted  emotion  when  we 
remember  our  sons  and  brothers,  whose  constant  valor  has 
sustained   on    the    field,    during   nearly  three  years  of   war, 


616  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  cause  of  our  country,  of  civilization,  and  liberty.  Our 
volunteers  have  represented  Massachusetts,  during  the  year 
just  ended,  on  almost  every  field,  and  in  every  department 
of  the  army  where  our  flag  has  been  unfurled  —  at  Chan- 
cellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Vicksburg,  Port  Hudson,  and  Fort 
Wagner ;  at  Chickamauga,  Knoxville,  and  Chattanooga ; 
under  Hooker,  Meade,  Banks,  Gilmore,  Rosecrans,  Burn- 
side,  and  Grant.  In  every  scene  of  danger  and  of  duty  — 
along  the  Atlantic  and  the  Gulf;  on  the  Tennessee,  the 
Cumberland,  the  Mississippi,  and  the  Rio  Grande  ;  under 
Dupont,  Dahlgren,  Foote,  Farragut,  and  Porter  —  the  sons 
of  Massachusetts  have  borne  their  part,  and  paid  the  debt 
of  patriotism  and  valor.  Ubiquitous  as  the  stock  they  de- 
scend from,  national  in  their  opinions  and  universal  in  their 
sympathies,  they  have  fought  shoulder  to  shoulder  with 
men  of  all  nations,  and  of  every  extraction.  On  the  ocean, 
on  the  rivers,  on  the  land,  on  the  heights  where  they  thun- 
dered down  from  the  clouds  of  Lookout  Mountain  the 
defiance  of  the  skies,  they  have  graven  with  their  swords  a 
record  imperishable. 

"  The  Muse  herself  demands  the  lapse  of  silent  years 
to  soften,  by  the  influences  of  time,  her  too  keen  and  poig- 
nant realization  of  the  scenes  of  war,  —  the  pathos,  the  hero- 
ism, the  fierce  joy,  the  grief,  of  battle.  But,  during  the  ages 
to  come,  she  will  brood  over  their  memory ;  into  the  hearts 
of  her  consecrated  priests  will  breathe  the  inspirations  of 
lofty  and  undying  beauty,  sublimity,  and  truth,  in  all  the 
glowing  forms  of  speech,  of  literature,  and  plastic  art.  By 
the  homely  traditions  of  the  fireside  ;  by  the  headstones  in 
the  churchyard,  consecrated  to  those  whose  forms  repose  far 
off  in  rude  graves  by  the  Rappahannock,  or  sleep  beneath 
the  sea,  —  embalmed  in  the  memories  of  succeeding  genera- 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  517 

tions  of  parents  and  children,  the  heroic  dead  will  live  on 
in  immortal  youth.  By  their  names,  their  character,  their 
service,  their  fate,  their  glory,  they  cannot  fail. 

"  The  Edict  of  Kantes,  maintaining  the  religious  liberty 
of  the  Huguenots,  gave  lustre  to  the  fame  of  Henry  the 
Great,  whose  name  will  gild  the  pages  of  philosophic  history 
after  mankind  may  have  forgotten  the  martial  prowess  and  the 
white  plume  of  Navarre.  The  Great  Proclamation  of  Liberty 
will  lift  the  ruler  who  uttered  it,  our  nation  and  our  age, 
above  all  vulgar  destiny.  The  bell  which  rang  out  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  has  found  at  last  a  voice  ar- 
ticulate to  'proclaim  liberty  throughout  all  the  land,  unto 
all  the  inhabitants  thereof.'  It  has  been  heard  across  oceans, 
and  has  modified  the  sentiments  of  cabinets  and  kings.  The 
people  of  the  Old  World  have  heard  it,  and  their  hearts 
stopped  to  catch  the  last  vespers  of  its  echoes.  The  wait- 
ing continent  has  heard  it,  and  already  foresees  the  fuHilled 
prophecy,  when  she  will  sit  'redeemed,  regenerated,  and 
disinthralled  by  the  irresistible  genius  of  universal  emanci- 
pation.' " 

During  the  first  six  months  of  the  year  the  following  new 
regiments  were  recruited  and  sent  to  the  front.  The  fifty- 
sixth.  Colonel  Charles  E.  Griswold,  left  the  state  on  the 
20th  of  March.  The  fifty-seventh.  Colonel  William  F.  Bart- 
lett,  left  on  the  18th  of  April.  The  fifty-eighth,  under  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  C.  Whiton,  left  on  the 
28th  of  April.  The  fifty-ninth.  Colonel  Jacob  P.  Gould, 
left  on  the  2Gth  of  April.  All  of  the  foregoing  regiments 
joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  previous  to  its  advance 
toward  Richmond.  Two  new  regiments  of  cavalry  were 
also  organized  ;  the  fourth,  Colonel  Arnold  A.  Rand,  and 
the  fifth  (colored),  Colonel  Henry  S.  Russell. 


518  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  end  of  the  war  was  fast  approachmg.  General  Grant, 
with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  general,  was  in  command  of  the 
Union  army.  Already  the  last  grand  campaign  had  begun. 
The  plan  of  the  commander  could  not  fail  to  insure  victory 
in  the  end,  and  never  was  a  plan  better  devised.  According 
to  this  plan,  the  great  power  of  the  lo3'al  states  was  to  be 
concentrated  in  one  vast  movement,  which  was  to  close  in, 
compress,  and  annihilate  the  enemy.  About  the  middle  of 
May,  Lee  and  the  rebel  army  of  Virginia  were  driven  by 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  within  the  fortifications  of  Rich- 
mond, to  which  Grant,  aided  by  the  Army  of  the  James, 
now  laid  siege.  Meantime  General  Sherman,  having  cap- 
tured Atlanta,  Avas  preparing  for  his  grand  march  through 
Georgia  to  the  sea.  It  required  all  of  Lee's  strength  to 
withstand  Grant's  movements,  while  the  former  could  spare 
no  force  to  prevent  the  advance  of  Sherman.  Thus  stood 
the  contending  forces  on  the  1st  of  July,  1864. 

The  year  1864  was  the  presidential  year.  At  the  re- 
publican convention,  held  at  Baltimore  in  the  autumn, 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  nominated  for  re-election  for  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  Andrew  Johnson,  of  Tennes- 
see, was  nominated  for  vice  president.  The  democratic 
convention,  which  met  at  Chicago,  nominated  Major  General 
George  B.  McClellan  for  president,  and  George  H.  Pendle- 
ton, of  Ohio,  for  vice  president.  The  republican  state  con- 
vention met  at  Worcester  on  the  15th  of  September,  and 
nominated  Governor  Andrew  for  re-election.  The  demo- 
cratic state  convention  met  in  Faneuil  Hall  on  the  21st 
of  September,  and  nominated  the  same  gentlemen  for  state 
officers  who  had  been  the  candidates  of  the  party  the  year 
before.  The  election  took  place  on  the  second  Tuesday 
of  November,  with    the   following   result.      Abraham   Lin- 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  519 

coin  received  one  liundred  and  twenty-six  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  forty-two  votes  ;  George  15.  McC'lcllan  forty- 
eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-five :  Lincoln's 
majority  was  seventy-seven  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
ninety-seven.  John  A.  Andrew  received  for  governor  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
one  ;  Henry  W.  Paine,  forty-nine  thousand  one  hundred 
and  ninety.  Governor  Andrew's  majority  was  seventy-six 
thousand  and  ninet3"-one. 

The  legislature  assembled  at  the  State  House,  in  Boston, 
on  the  4th  of  January,  18G5.  In  his  inaugural  address 
the  governor  said,  "  By  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God,  the 
people  of  Massachusetts  witness  to-day  the  inauguration  of 
a  new  political  year,  under  circumstances  in  which  the  vic- 
tories of  the  past,  blended  with  bright  and  well-grounded 
hope  for  the  future,  assure  the  early  return  of  national 
peace,  the  firm  establishment  of  liberty,  and  auspicate  the 
lasting  glory  of  the  republic."  In  closing  his  address,  the 
governor  paid  an  eloquent  tribute  to  the  services  of  the  sol- 
diers who  had  gone  forth  to  battle  for  the  Union.  "  In 
the  vestibule  of  the  Capitol  of  the  com.monwealth,"  he  said, 
"  you  pass  to  this  hall  of  your  deliberations  beneath  a  hun- 
dred battle  flags,  war-worn,  begrimed,  and  bloody.  They 
are  sad  but  proud  memorials  of  the  transcendent  crime  of 
the  rebellion,  the  curse  of  slavery,  the  elastic  enei-gy  of 
a  free  commonwealth,  the  glory  and  the  grief  of  war.  There 
has  been  no  loyal  army,  the  shout  of  whose  victory  has 
not  drowned  the  dying  sigh  of  a  son  of  Massachusetts. 
There  has  been  no  victory  gained  which  her  blood  has  not 
helped  to  win.  Since  the  war  began,  four  hundred  and 
thirty-four  officers  whose  commissions  bore  our  seal,  or  who 
were  promoted  by  the  president  to  higher  than  regimental 


520  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

commands,  have  tasted  death  in  the  defence  of  their  country's 
flag.  The  names  of  nine  general  officers,  sixteen  colonels, 
seventeen  lieutenant  colonels,  twenty  majors,  six  surgeons, 
nine  assistant  surgeons,  two  chaplains,  one  hundred  and 
ten  captains,  and  two  hundred  and  forty-live  lieutenants, 
illustrate  their  roll  of  honor  ;  nor  will  the  history  be  deemed 
complete,  nor  our  duty  done,  until  the  fate  and  fame  of 
every  man,  to  the  humblest  private  of  them  all,  shall  have 
been  inscribed  upon  the  records  of  this  Capitol,  there  to 
remain,  I  trust,  until  the  earth  and  sea  shall  give  up 
their  dead ;  and  thus  shall  the  Capitol  itself  become  for 
ever}^  soldier-son  of  ours  a  monument.  And  whatever  may 
hereafter  tide,  or  befall  me  or  mine,  may  the  God  of  our 
fathers  preserve  our  commonwealth." 

Whilst  these  words  were  being  uttered,  the  contending 
forces  were  preparing  for  a  final  struggle.  The  Army  of 
the  Potomac  was  in  the  trenches  before  Petersburg  and 
Richmond,  and  General  Lee  held  the  rebel  capital ;  Sher- 
man was  marching  to  the  sea,  and  Thomas  was  behind  his 
breastworks  in  front  of  Nashville.  On  the  3d  of  April 
Governor  Andrew  received  the  following  telegram  from  the 
secretary  of  war :  "  The  following  telegram  from  the  i:)resi- 
dent,  announcing  the  evacuation  of  Petersburg,  and  probably 
of  Richmond,  has  just  been  received  by  this  department: 
'  City  Point,  Virginia,  od,  8.30  A.  M.  This  morning  Gen- 
eral Grant  reports  Petersburg  evacuated,  and  he  is  confi- 
dent Richmond  also  is.  He  is  pushing  forward  to  cut  off, 
if  possible,  the  retreating  army.'  —  Later.  It  appears  by  the 
despatch  of  General  Weitzell,  just  received  by  the  depart- 
ment, that  our  forces  under  his  command  are  in  Richmond, 
having  taken  it  at  8.35  this  morning."  The  governor  tele- 
graphed  to   Mr.  Stanton :    "  I   give   you  joy  on   these   tri- 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CI  VIE    WAR.  521 

umphant  victories.  Our  people,  by  a  common  impulse, 
abandoned  business  to-day  for  thanksgiving  and  rL'j(jicing. 
The  colored  men,  received  last,  got  in  fust,  and  thus  is  the 
Scripture  fulfdled."  The  last  sentence  in  the  telegram  re- 
fers to  the  colored  division  in  Weitzell's  corps,  which  was 
said  to  be  the  first  infantry  to  enter   Richmond. 

On  the  IGth  of  January  Edward  Everett  died,  in  the 
city  of  Boston,  after  a  brief  illness.  The  departure  of  this 
most  distinguished  man  from  those  well-known  scenes  which 
he  had  honored  by  his  presence,  caused  a  profound  sensa- 
tion in  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  death  of  ]\Ir.  'Ever- 
ett was  properly  noticed,  not  only  in  the  commonwealth 
to  which  he  belonged,  but  elsewhere  by  the  various  literary, 
scientific,  and  historical  associations. 

Massachusetts  received  the  tidings  of  the  fall  of  Richmond, 
and  the  retreat  of  General  Lee,  with  the  wildest  demon- 
strations of  delight.  In  Boston,  especially,  the  streets  were 
thronged  with  excited  people.  After  the  first  outburst  of 
enthusiasm,  a  large  meeting  was  organized  in  the  Merchants' 
Exchange,  which  was  conducted  with  prayer  and  other  ap- 
propriate exercises.  About  one  o'clock  all  the  bells  in  the 
city  were  rung,  and  a  salute  was  fired  on  the  Common. 
There  was  a  procession  of  market-men  in  the  afternoon, 
and  in  the  evening  the  whole  city  w\^s  brilliantly  illumi- 
nated. In  Cambridge,  a  large  meeting  was  held  in  the 
evening,  the  bells  rang,  and  rockets  and  other  fireworks 
added  to  the  general  joy  of  the  occasion.  In  Charlestown, 
also,  and  in  Roxbury,  the  same  grand  display  was  made  ; 
and,  indeed,  it  would  be  difficult  to  name  a  city,  town, 
or  village  in  the  state  to  which  the  excitement  and  enthu- 
siasm did  not  extend.  On  the  4th  of  April,  the  governor, 
in  a  special  message  to  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
6G 


622  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

sentatives,  annouDced  the  successes  of  our  armies,  and  the 
certain  downfall  of  the  rebellion.  Five  days  later  Gen- 
eral Lee  surrendered  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  to 
General  Grant,  thus  virtually  closing  the  war. 

Not  yet  had  the  rejoicings  ceased,  when  the  telegraph 
bore  tidings  of  the  greatest  personal  calamity  that  ever 
befell  a  nation.  Never  were  the  American  people  so  put  to 
grief  as  when  it  was  made  known  that  on  Saturday,  the 
15th  of  April,  Abraham  Lincoln  had  died  by  the  hand 
of  an  assassin.  "  In  the  midst  of  exultations  of  recent 
and  repeated  victory,"  said  the  governor,  in  a  message 
to  the  legislature,  "  in  the  midst  of  the  highest  hopes  of 
the  most  auspicious  omens,  in  the  hour  of  universal  joy, 
the  nation  passed  at  once,  by  an  inscrutable  and  mysterious 
providence,  into  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  As- 
sembled, while  the  cloud  is  yet  thick  upon  our  eyes,  and 
the  hearts  of  men  are  oppressed  by  a  sense  of  a  strange 
dismay,  it  has  become  my  mournful  duty  to  record,  by 
formal  and  official  announcement  to  the  legislative  depart- 
ment of  the  commonwealth,  this  calamitous  and  distressing 
event."  Appropriate  honors  were  paid  by  all  departments 
of  the  government  to  the  memory  of  the  martyred  pres- 
ident. The  public  buildings,  and  many  of  the  private 
residences  in  the  state,  were  arrayed  in  the  emblems  of 
mourning.  Likewise  the  public  voice  gave  eloquent  token 
of  the  grief  of  the  public  heart. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  the  monument  erected  in  Lowell 
in  honor  of  the  first  martyrs  in  the  rebellion  was  inaugu- 
rated. It  was  a  memorable  occasion.  The  governor  and 
staff,  the  heads  of  departments,  and  members  of  the  legis- 
lature, were  present.  There  was  a  long  procession,  escorted 
by  a  company  of  cavalry  and   the   old   sixth   regiment   of 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE  CIVIL    WAR.  r)23 

infantry ;  and  the  governor,  from  the  balcony  of  the  Merri- 
mack House,  delivered  the  oration.  It  was  described  as 
"  one  of  his  most  able  efforts,  in  which  he  took  a  patriotic 
and  statesman-like  view  of  the  commencement,  progress,  and 
termination  of  the  rebellion." 

On  the  21st  of  Jane  a  meeting  of  citizens  was  held 
in  Faneuil  Hall  to  consider  the  question  of  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  rebel  states.  Theophilus  Parsons,  of  Cambridge, 
presided ;  and  speeches  were  made  by  him,  and  by  Richard 
H.  Dana,  Jr.,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  George  B.  Loring,  and 
Senator  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  of  Kansas.  Letters  were  read  from 
the  governor,  Alexander  H.  Bullock,  of  Worcester,  Charles 
G.  Loring,  Alexander  H.  Rice,  and  Samuel  Hooper,  of  Bos- 
ton. There  is  a  passage  in  Governor  Andrew's  letter,  which 
may  here  be  quoted  :  "  It  is  not  my  belief,"  he  writes,  '*  that 
in  any  one  of  the  seceding  states  the  time  has  yet  arrived 
when  its  state  government  can  be  re-established  with  safety. 
Whether  the  white  man  only  votes,  or  whether  the  colored 
man  also  votes,  I  regard  the  movement  at  the  present  moment 
with  inexpressible  concern.  It  has  taken  us  four  j-ears  to 
conquer  the  rebels  in  all  of  them.  I  would  not  run 
any  risk,  great  or  small,  of  allowing  the  same  class  of  men 
to  beat  us  by  an  appeal  to  fraud.  They  appealed  to  force, 
and  were  conquered.  Let  us  hold  on  to  the  power  we  now 
have  to  do  right,  to  protect  the  loyal,  to  rebuild  the  state,  to 
re-establish  society,  to  secure  the  liberty  of  the  people  and 
the  safety  of  the  L'nion.  Let  it  be  used  with  parental 
kindness  and  in  the  temper  of  conciliation." 

Commemoration  Day  at  Cambridge,  in  honor  of  the  patriot 
heroes  of  Harvard  College,  on  the  21st  of  July,  was  one 
of  the  most  memorable  events  in  the  annals  of  that  ancient 
seat   of  learning.     It  was    truly  a   reunion    of  the  sous  of 


624  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Harvard.  Many  of  the  young  men  present,  who  had  gradu- 
ated a  few  years  before,  bore  on  their  shoulders  the  insignia 
of  generals  and  colonels,  while  some  appeared  with  only 
one  arm  or  one  le^.  At  eleven  o'clock  a  procession  was 
formed,  which  marched  to  the  Unitarian  Church,  where 
the  exercises  began.  After  the  services  in  the  church, 
the  procession  proceeded  to  a  large  pavilion  which  had 
been  erected  in  the  rear  of  Harvard  Hall,  and  there  par- 
took of  an  elegant  and  substantial  dinner.  Among  those 
whose  eloquence  contributed  to  swell  the  intellectual  feast, 
were  General  Barlow,  General  Devens,  Governor  Andrew, 
President  Hill,  Major  General  Meade,  U.  S.  A.,  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson,  Rear  Admiral  Davis,  U.  S.  N.,  Major  General 
Force,  of  Ohio,  and  others.  Original  songs  and  poems 
were  furnished  by  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  James  Russell 
Lowell,  and  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe.  Regarded  as  a  whole, 
it  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  gatherings  of  educated 
and  renowned  citizens  ever  assembled  on  this  continent. 

On  the  15th  of  September  the  republican  state  convention 
met  at  Worcester.  The  war  being  over.  Governor  Andrew 
had  signified  his  determination  not  again  to  be  a  candidate  for 
re-election,  and  the  convention,  therefore,  unanimously  nomi- 
nated Alexander  H.  Bullock,  of  Worcester,  for  governor, 
and  William  Claflin,  of  Newton,  for  lieutenant  governor. 
The  democratic  convention  met  at  Worcester  on  the  29th 
of  September,  and  nominated  Darius  N.  Couch,  of  Taun- 
ton, for  governor,  and  Thomas  F.  Plunkett,  of  Pittsfield, 
for  lieutenant  governor.  The  election  took  place  on  the 
7th  of  November,  and  resulted  in  a  complete  triumph  of  the 
republican  party. 

On  the  22d  of  December  the  governor  received  the  flags 
of  the  regiments  with  all  the  honors  which  the  cause  they 


AfASSACHUSETTS  TN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  525 

symbolized,  and  the  battle-fields  over  which  tlioy  had 
waved,  made  proper.  On  tliat  day  a  procession  of  the 
veteran  officers  and  men  —  each  command  carrying  its  tat- 
tered (lags  —  moved  through  the  streets  of  Boston.  liusi- 
ness  was  suspended,  the  people  thronged  the  sidewalks, 
nearly  every  house  and  store  displayed  banners,  and  tlio 
air  resounded  with  cheers,  and  music,  and  martial  salutes. 
Upon  reaching  the  State  House,  the  procession  halted,  and 
the  color-bearers  of  each  command  were  stationed  upon 
the  steps  leading  to  the  Capitol.  In  a  few  graceful  and 
well-chosen  words,  General  Couch  formall}'  returned  the 
colors  of  the  Massachusetts  volunteers  to  the  state.  The 
governor,  in  a  beautiful  response,  received  the  relics  in  behalf 
of  the  people  and  the  commonwealth. 

No  record  of  the  part  taken  by  Massachusetts  in  the 
civil  war  would  be  complete  without  some  mention  being 
made  of  those  who,  remaining  at  home,  devoted  their  whole 
time  for  the  comfort  of  the  soldiers  and  the  alleviation  of 
their  sufferings.  The  New  England  Women's  Auxiliary 
Association  was  the  name  given  to  the  north-eastern  branch 
of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission.  It  was  or- 
ganized in  December,  1861,  and  continued  its  work  until 
July,  18G5.  The  work  of  this  noble  association  Avas  done 
wdiolly  by  volunteers,  almost  entirely  ladies,  wdio,  entering 
into  it  at  the  earliest  period,  accepted  the  great  increase  of 
labor  to  the  end.  Neither  should  the  grand  and  generous  ser- 
vices of  Mrs.  Hanison  Gray  Otis,  and  of  IMiss  Abby  May 
pass  unrecorded ;  nor  the  work  of  the  women  outside  of  Bos- 
ton be  forgotten.  Without  the  aid  of  such  unselfish  de- 
votion and  benevolence,  the  rebellion  could  never  have 
been  subdued.  Massachusetts  sent  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
nine  thousand    one   hundred  and  sixtv-five   of  her   sons   to 


526  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  war ;  as  many  of  her  daughters  proved  heroines  at 
home  in  the  labor  of  well-doing. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1866,  Governor  Andrew  delivered 
his  valedictory  address  to  the  legislature.  He  said,  in  clos- 
ing, — 

"  In  sympathy  with  the  heart  and  hope  of  the  nation, 
Massachusetts  will  abide  by  her  faith.  Undisturbed  by  the 
impatient,  undismayed  by  delay,  '  with  malice  toward  none, 
with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right,  as  God  gives 
us  to  see  the  right,'  she  will  persevere.  Impartial,  demo- 
cratic, constitutional  liberty  is  invincible ;  the  rights  of 
human  nature  are  sacred,  maintained  by  confessors,  and 
heroes,  and  martyrs,  reposing  on  the  sure  foundation  of 
the  commandments  of  God. 

'  Through  plots  and  counterplots  : 
Through  gain  and  loss ;  through  glory  and  disgrace ; 
Along  the  plains  where  passionate  discord  rears 
Eternal  Babel,  —  still  the  holy  stream 
Of  human  happiness  glides  on ! 


There  is  One  above 
Sways  the  harmonious  mystery  of  the  world.' 

"  Gentlemen,  for  all  the  favors,  unmerited  and  unmeas- 
ured, which  I  have  enjoyed  from  the  people  of  Massachu- 
setts ;  from  the  counsellors,  magistrates,  ofiBcers,  with  whom 
I  have  been  surrounded  in  the  government,  and  from  the 
members  of  five  successive  legislatures,  —  there  is  no  return 
in  my  power  to  render,  but  the  sincere  acknowledgments  of 
a  grateful  heart.'' 

On  the  6th  of  January,  His  Excellency  Alexander  H. 
Bullock  delivered  his  inaugural  address,  and  Governor  An- 
drew passed  out  from  the  portals  of  the  Capitol  a  private 
citizen.     With  the  end  of  the  latter's  administration  closed 


MASSACHUSETTS  IN  THE   CIVIL    WAR.  527 

the  drama  of  the  civil  war.  His  fellow-citizens  knew  how 
well  he  served  his  country,  and  upheld  the  dignity  and  honor 
of  Massachusetts.  Of  those  who  exposed  and  sacrificed 
their  lives  in  far-off  states,  and  on  distant  seas,  how  much 
might  be  written  I  As  has  been  written  of  them,  "  they 
did  their  duty,  and  the  nation  owes  them  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude which  can  never  be  repaid.  The  dead  who  are  buried 
in  Virginia,  the  Carolinas,  or  the  states  of  the  Mississippi,  at 
Andersonville,  Salisbury,  at  home,  or  wherever  they  may 
rest  :  the  sick,  maimed,  and  wounded  who  live  among  us, 
and  those  who  escaped  unharmed  from  a  hundred  battle- 
fields, —  their  families,  their  names,  their  services,  their 
sacrifices,  their  patriotism,  —  will  ever  be  held  in  grateful 
remembrance  by  a  generous  and  enlightened  people."  ^ 

'  Schouler,  Hist,  of  Mass.  in  the  Civil  War,  i.  670.  General  Schooler  was 
adjutant  general  of  the  commonwealth  during  the  war,  and  his  work,  in  two 
volumes,  is  an  invaluable  storehouse  of  facts  connected  with  our  history-  during 
that  period. 


528  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
SINCE  THE  WAR. 

The  legislature  adjourned  on  the  30th  of  May,  after 
passing  three  hundred  and  one  acts  and  one  hundred  and 
five  resolves.  During  the  session  the  General  Court  re- 
fused any  new  legislation  as  to  liquor  selling,  any  interfer- 
ence with  regard  to  the  hours  of  labor,  any  change  in  the 
rate  of  interest,  the  equalization  of  bounties  to  the  soldiers 
of  the  war,  the  organization  of  a  board  of  railway  commis- 
sioners, and  the  prohibition  of  horse  railway  cars  on  Sundays. 
It  appropriated  half  a  million  dollars  to  continue  work  on 
the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad  and  the  Hoosac  Tunnel, 
and  authorized  the  Western  Railroad  to  increase  its  capital 
to  ten  millions,  in  order  to  complete  its  second  track,  pay 
for  the  Hudson  River  Bridge,  and  enlarge  its  stock  of  cars 
and  locomotives.  A  new  plan  for  the  organization  and  main- 
tenance of  a  state  militia  was  adopted,  and  General  Butler 
placed  at  its  head. 

The  aggregate  expenditure  of  Massachusetts  on  account 
of  the  war  amounted  to  more  than  fifty  millions  of  dollars* 
including  that  of  her  municipalities.    ^ 

The  act  of  1866  for  organizing  the  militia  of  the  common- 
wealth, provides  that  all  able-bodied  men,  between  the  ages 
of  eighteen  and  forty-five,  shall  be  enrolled  in  the  militia. 
The  active  militia  will  consist  of  volunteers,  who,  in  any 
emergency  requiring  the  exercise  of  military  force,  will  be 


SINCE    THE    WAR.  529 

flie  first  ordered  to  render  service  to  the  state.  Of  this 
class  of  troops  there  arc  to  be  one  hinidred  companies  of 
infantry,  eight  of  cavalr}',  and  five  of  light  artillery  ;  all 
arms  and  eqnipments  are  to  be  provided  by  the  state,  and 
annual  encampments  are  to  be  held  for  the  purposes  of 
drill. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  year  the  stringent  prohibitory 
liquor  law  of  Massachusetts  was  resisted  in  various  ways. 
In  March,  the  state  courts  ruled  that  a  license  to  sell 
liquors  under  the  Act  of  Congress  providing  for  internal 
revenue,  did  not  give  authority  to  any  person  to  sell  liquor 
in  violation  of  the  statutes  of  the  state.  The  cause  was 
(hen  carried  to  Washington  for  review  ;  and  the  decision 
of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  was  rendered,  fully 
sustaining  the  rulings  of  the  state  tribunals. 

In  accordance  with  a  provision  of  the  legislature,  Governor 
Bullock  visited  and  inspected  the  work  at  the  Hoosac  Tun- 
nel three  times  in  1866.  The  progress  in  the  work  of  the 
tunnel  during  this  year  was  twelve  hundred  and  forty-six 
feet,  being  four  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  excess  of  the 
year  previous.  The  course  of  the  work  was  much  retarded 
by  the  introduction  and  experimental  use  of  automatic  drills 
in  the  eastern  opening.  By  reason  of  constant  breakage, 
cost  of  replacement,  and  delay  of  the  work,  these  machines 
failed  to  answer  their  designs,  and  were  discarded. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  the  republican  state  conven- 
tion met  at  Boston,  and  renominated  Governor  Bullock  and 
his  coadjutors  in  office.  The  National  Union  state  conven- 
tion, composed  mainly  of  conservative  republicans,  and  of 
persons  who  sympathized  with  the  political  views  of  Presi- 
dent Johnson,  met  at  Boston,  on  the  3d  of  October,  and 
nominated  Theodore  H.  Sweetzer,  of  Lowell,  for  governor, 
67 


530  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

and  Brigadier  General  Horace  C.  Lee,  of  Springfield,  for 
lieutenant  governor.  The  democratic  state  convention  met 
in  the  same  place  on  the  same  day,  and  pledged  its  support  to 
the  ticket  nominated  by  the  National  Union  convention.  In 
November  Governor  Bullock  was  re-elected  by  a  majority 
of  upward  of  sixty-five  thousand  votes.  Among  the  republi- 
cans elected  to  the  legislature  were  two  colored  men,  — 
Edward  G.  Walker,  from  Charlestown,  and  Charles  L. 
Mitchell,  from  Boston.  All  of  the  republican  candidates  — 
ten  in  number  —  were  elected  to  Congress. 

The  legislature  met  on  the  2d  of  January,  18G7,  and  was 
prorogued  on  the  3d  of  June.  Once  more  the  liquor  ques- 
tion was  freely  discussed.  In  1855  a  law  had  been  passed 
prohibiting  absolutely  the  sale  of  all  intoxicating  liquors, 
including  ale,  beer,  and  cider,  to  be  used  as  beverages,  and 
also  forbidding  their  sale  for  any  mechanical  or  medicinal 
purpose  by  any  one  save  the  agents  appointed  by  the  state. 
Several  petitions  were  now  sent  into  the  legislature  praying 
for  the  enactment  of  a  judicious  license  law  in  place  of  the 
prohibitory  statute  then  in  force ;  on  the  other  hand,  peti- 
tions were  received  remonstrating  against  the  substitution 
of  a  license  law  for  the  existing  statute.  The  various 
petitions  were  referred  to  a  joint  special  committee,  which, 
after  having  granted  public  hearings,  and  considered  the 
matter  from  all  sides,  submitted  a  report  to  the  legislature, 
which  was  summed  up  in  these  three  propositions  :  — 

First :  ''  It  is  not  sinful  nor  hurtful  in  every  case  to  use 
every  kind  of  alcoholic  liquors  or  beverages.  It  is  not,  there^ 
fore,  wrong  in  every  case  to  sell  every  kind  of  alcoholic 
liquors  to  be  used  as  beverages.  But  this  law  prohibits 
every  sale  of  every  kind  of  alcoholic  liquors,  to  be  used  as 
beverages."     Second :     "  It  is  the  right  of  every  citizen  to 


S/NCF    THE   WAR.  U?,\ 

determine  for  Iiimsolf  -what  he  will  cat  and  drink.  A  law 
prohibiting  him  from  drinking:  every  kind  of  alcoholic  li([iiors, 
nniversall}^  used  in  all  countries  and  ages  as  a  beverage,  is  an 
arbitrary  and  unreasonable  interference  with  his  rights,  and 
is  not  justified  by  the  consideration  that  some  men  may 
abuse  their  rights,  and  may,  therefore,  need  the  counsel  and 
example  of  good  men  to  lead  them  to  reform.  But  this 
law  does,  in  theory,  prohibit  him  from  drinking  every  kind 
of  alcoholic  liquors,  since  it  prohibits  every  sale  of  every 
kind  of  alcoholic  liquors  to  be  used  as  a  beverage."  Third  : 
"  Finally,  if  the  use  should  be  totally  prohibited,  because  it 
is  either  sinful  or  hurtful  in  all  cases,  or  may  be  in  some 
cases,  the  nse  should  be  punished.  But  this  law  punishes 
the  sale,  and  does  not  punish  the  nse."  The  committee 
reported  a  bill  providing  for  a  license  system  to  regulate 
the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors.  The  bill  w^as  rejected, 
however,  by  the  legislature,  and  the  old  law  suffered  to 
remain  in  full  force. 

The  legislature  of  this  year  voted  an  additional  grant  of 
*ix  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the  Troy  and  Greenfield 
Railroad  and  Hoosac  Tunnel ;  loaned  the  credit  of  the  state 
to  the  extent  of  four  millions  of  dollars  for  internal  improve- 
ments ;  virtually  repealed  the  usury  laws,  by  passing  an 
enactment  allowing  a  higher  rate  of  interest  than  that 
assigned  as  the  lawful  rate  ;  granted  an  act  of  incorpora- 
tion to  the  Clarke  Institution  for  Deaf  Mutes,  which  was 
organized  at  Northampton ;  and  passed  an  act,  over  the 
governor's  veto,  providing  for  the  annexation  of  Roxburv 
to  Boston,  in  case  the  people  of  the  former  city  should  vote 
in  favor  of  the  project.  The  vote  was  taken,  in  Sejitember, 
in  favor  of  annexation  ;  and  on  the  1st  of  January  following, 
the  two  municipalities  were  united. 


532  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

In  October  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  pupils  the 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  located  at  Amherst,  the 
citizens  of  that  town  having  pledged  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars  for  the  benefit  of  the  enterprise.  Much  was  done 
during  the  j^ear  for  the  preservation  and  improvement  of 
Boston  Harbor,  by  way  of  constructing  a  sea  wall  to  prevent 
the  waste  of  the  shores,  and  removing  dangerous  obstruc- 
tions from  the  main  ship  channel. 

The  question  of  regulating  the  sale  of  liquors  had  a 
marked  effect  upon  the  political  issues  in  the  state,  the 
support  of  the  prohibitory  policy  being  generally  attributed 
to  the  dominant  party.  The  republican  state  convention, 
which  met  at  Worcester  on  the  12th  of  September,  nomi- 
nated for  re-election  the  entire  board  of  officers  then  in 
power,  and  adopted  resolutions  approving  of  the  recent 
measures  of  Congress  reprobating  the  policy  of  President 
.Johnson,  thanking  "  our  senators  and  representatives  in  Con- 
gress for  their  resistance  to  the  usurpations  of  the  president," 
and  expressing  gratitude  "  to  the  military  commanders,  who 
have  done  all  in  their  power  within  their  commands  to  re- 
store order,  initiate  civil  governments,  and  secure  protection 
to  citizens  of  every  race  and  party." 

The  democratic  state  convention  met  at  Worcester  on 
the  14th  of  October,  and  nominated  John  Quincy  Adams 
for  governor,  and  George  M.  Stearns  for  lieutenant  governor. 
One  of  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  convention,  declared 
"  that  from  Maine  to  California  the  democracy  are  rising  in 
their  might  to  overturn  and  demolish  the  radical,  destructive 
party,  and  the  democrats  of  Massachusetts  will  do  their  part 
in  this  good  work."  And  further,  "  that  an  increase  of  the 
state  debt  during  the  war,  of  forty  millions  of  dollars,  and 
the  wasteful  extravagance  of  the  party  in  power,  which  has 


SINCE   THE   WAR.  533 

added  to,  rather  than  diminished  the  debt,  is  ahirming,  and 
demands  a  change  of  adniinistation  in  the  state  govern- 
ment." 

Tlie  election  took  pLace  in  November,  and  resulted  in  the 
choice  of  the  entire  republican  ticket,  —  the  majority  of 
Governor  Bullock  being  very  nearly  twenty-eight  thousand 
votes.  Of  the  members  sent  to  the  legislature,  thirty-one 
in  the  Senate  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  in  the  House, 
were  pledged  for  license  ;  and  nine  in  the  Senate  and  fifty 
in  the  House  were  pledged  for  prohibition.  Six  in  the  House 
were  unpledged. 

At  the  end  of  the  year,  the  total  funded  debt  of  the  state 
amounted  to  twenty-three  million  nine  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-nine  dollars  and  twenty- 
five  cents,  of  which  the  payment  of  twenty-one  millions  six 
hundred  and  five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  dol- 
lars was  secured  by  sinking  funds,  bonds,  mortgages,  and 
collaterals,  leaving  two  millions  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eight^^-nine  dollars  and 
twenty-five  cents  with  no  special  provision  for  its  liquida- 
tion. During  the  year  two  millions  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  thousand  five  hundred  and  five  dollars  and  ninety-six 
cents  were  raised  by  taxation  for  the  support  of  public  educa- 
tion. Two  hundred  and  thirty-six  thousand  pupils  attended 
the  free  schools,  and  eight  thousand  teachers,  of  whom  about 
seven  eighths  were  females,  were  emploj'ed. 

The  legislature  of  1868  assembled  on  the  first  Wednesday 
in  January,  and  was  prorogued  on  the  12th  of  June.  The 
prominent  topic  under  consideration,  during  the  session,  was 
as  formerly,  that  of  regulating  the  sale  of  intoxicating  li- 
quors. Although  the  governor  himself  was  opposed  to  a 
license  system,  he  deemed  it  proper  to  inform  the  legislature, 


534  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

at  the  beginning  of  the  session,  that  the  people  had  ex- 
pressed themselves  in  favor  of  a  change  in  the  existing  law. 
Accordingly  a  law  was  framed  providing  for  the  sale  of 
liquors  on  licenses  to  be  issued  by  county  commissioners, 
and  requiring  all  dealers  to  keep  a  strict  account  of  all 
liquors  sold  by  them,  and  to  make  a  return  thereof  once  in 
two  months  to  the  treasurer  of  the  city  or  town  in  which 
their  business  was  carried  on.  A  tax,  varying  from  one  to 
two  per  cent,  was  imposed  upon  the  value  of  liquors  sold 
under  license.  The  governor  disapproved  the  bill,  and  in 
a  message  to  the  House  thus  wrote  :  "  The  fourth  section 
of  the  bill  throws  open  public  bars  and  tippling-houses  in 
every  quarter  of  the  state.  It  leads  into  temptation  the 
young  and  the  weak ;  it  spreads  a  snare  for  the  stranger 
and  the  unwary.  It  replaces  thrift  with  waste  ;  and  the 
peace  and  quiet  of  neighborhoods  with  boisterous  and  reck- 
less disorder.  It  is  destructive  to  the  influences  of  the 
family  and  the  fireside  ;  adverse  to  good  morals,  and  repug- 
nant to  the  religious  sentiment  of  the  community.  To  a 
measure  like  this,  which,  as  a  citizen  I  could  not  support, 
as  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  commonwealth  I  cannot  affix 
my  signature  in  approval ;  and  declining  to  return  it  with 
my  objections  for  the  reasons  I  have  given,  I  refer  it  to  the 
judgment  and  the  conscience  of  all  the  people  of  Massachu- 
setts." The  course  of  the  governor  was  severely  censured 
in  the  House  of  Representatives ;  but  was  generally  ap- 
proved by  intelligent  people  throughout  the  state. 

In  1865  a  law  had  been  passed,  establishing  a  state  police, 
providing  "  that  a  constable  of  the  commonwealth  should  be 
appointed  by  the  governor,  with  power  to  name  as  many 
deputies  as  the  governor  and  council  should  direct."  In 
1867  this  law  had  come  into  considerable  odium  ;  and  in  the 


STATE    THE    WAR.  r,_o- 

following  3'oar  a  l)ill  providing  for  llio  ropoal  of  (lio  ronstab- 
nlary  act  passed  both  Houses  of  the  (Jeneral  ("onrt,  Itnt 
was  arrested  by  the  veto  of  the  governor.  Another  lull, 
which  was  intended  to  supersede  the  constabulary  law  by 
provisions  entirel}'-  different,  was  introduced,  and  met  with 
llie  same  fate  as  the  preceding  act.  With  regard  to  the 
jiractical  working  of  the  license  law  of  1808,  Governor 
Clafhn,  in  his  first  message  to  the  legislature  of  1800,  said, 
'"'  The  increase  of  drunkenness  and  crime  during  the  last 
six  months,  as  compared  with  the  same  period  in  18G7,  is 
very  marked  and  decisive  as  to  the  operation  of  the  law. 
The  state  prison,  jails,  and  houses  of  correction  are  being 
rapidly  filled,  and  will  soon  require  enlarged  accommoda- 
tions, if  the  commitments  continue  to  increase  as  they  have 
done  since  the  present  law  w'ent  into  force." 

Meantime  the  work  on  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad 
and  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  progressed  on  a  scale  more  consider- 
able than  ever  before.  Before  its  adjournment,  the  legisla- 
ture passed  .a  law,  authorizing  the  governor  and  council  to 
contract  for  the  wdiole  work  of  constructing  the  Hoosac 
Tunnel,  at  an  expense  not  exceeding  five  millions  of  dollars, 
and  within  a  time  limited  to  seven  years.  A  supplemental 
act  authorized  the  use  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  to  be  taken  from  the  five  millions,  to  continue  oper- 
ations nntil  the  proposed  contract  should  be  made.  On  the 
24th  of  December  the  governor  and  council  executed  a 
contract  with  Walter  Shanly,  of  Montreal,  and  Francis 
Shanly,  of  Toronto,  for  the  sum  of  four  millions  five  hundred 
and  ninety-four  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  dol- 
lars, to  be  paid  in  United  States  treasury  notes,  or  other 
current  funds.  The  contract  limited  the  time  to  March, 
1874,  with  power  on  the  part  of  the  governor  to  gran t^  an 


636  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

extension  of  six  months.  Up  to  this  time  the  cost  of  the 
railroad  and  tunnel  amounted  to  more  than  four  millions  of 
dollars  ;  and  the  entire  cost  of  the  railroad  from  Boston  to 
Troy,  with  its  immediate  connections,  after  completion,  was 
estimated  at  about  sixteen  millions  of  dollars. 

During  the  year,  the  state  made  a  conditional  loan  of  three 
millions  of  dollars  to  the  Boston,  Hartford  and  Erie  Railroad 
Company,  to  enable  it  to  complete  the  line  from  Boston  to 
Fishkill  before  May  27,  1872  ;  expended  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  protection  of  the  harbor  at 
Provincetown  ;  granted  upward  of  two  millions  and  a  half 
dollars  for  the  support  of  common  schools ;  and  made 
smaller  appropriations  to  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zool- 
ogy in  Cambridge,  to  Williams  College,  to  the  State  Agri- 
cultural College,  to  the  Mount  Holyoke  Female  College,  and 
to  the  Asylum  for  the  Blind. 

The  republican  and  democratic  state  conventions,  as- 
sembled in  September.  By  the  former,  William  Claflin  was 
nominated  for  governor,  and  Joseph  Tucker  for  lieutenant 
governor ;  by  the  later,  John  Quincy  Adams  was  nominated 
for  governor.  Mr.  Claflin  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
nearly  sixty-nine  thousand  votes.  Of  the  votes  cast  for 
presidential  electors,  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  thousand 
four  hundred  and  seventy-seven  were  in  favor  of  Grant  and 
Colfax ;  and  fifty-nine  thousand  four  hundred  and  eight 
for  Seymour  and  Blair.  All  of  the  representatives  elected 
to  Congress  —  ten  in  number  —  were  republicans.  The 
composition  of  the  General  Court  was  almost  wholly  repub- 
lican—  only  two  democrats  being  elected  to  the  Senate, 
and  sixteen  to  the  House. 

The  legislature  of  1869  assembled  on  the  5th  of  January, 
and  was  prorogued  on  the  25th  of  June.     During  the  ses- 


SINCE    THE    WAR.  537 

sion,  which  consumed  one  hundred  und  seventy-one  days, — 
the  fifteenth  amendment  to  tlie  ConslituLiou  of  llio  United 
States  was  adopted  ;  an  ocean  telegraph  company  was  au- 
thorized ;  a  railroad  commission  and  a  bureau  of  statistics 
were  established,  and  about  fifty  corporations  were  char- 
tered. The  three  great  measures  of  the  session  were  the 
establishment  of  a  State  Board  of  Ileallh  ;  the  abuHshnicnt 
of  the  district  system  of  public  schools,  and  the  revision  of 
the  educational  system  of  the  state  ;  and  the  enactment  of 
the  prohibitory  liquor  law. 

The  new  liquor  law  passed  was,  in  reality,  only  a  revival 
of  the  one  previously  in  force.  This  law  provided  for  the 
appointment  of  a  commissioner  by  the  governor,  whose  office 
was  to  be  in  Boston,  and  whose  duty  was  stated  to  be  "  to 
analyze  liquors,  and  sell  them  to  the  authorized  agents,  keep 
record  of  sales  and  purchases,  and  seal  all  packages  of  li- 
quor." The  manufacture  of  liquors  was  authorized  by  county 
commissioners,  and  the  law  also  provided  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  "bonded  agents  by  cities  and  towns,"  and  of  an 
assayer  and  inspector  of  liquors.  The  complexity  of  this 
law  was  remarkable,  and  the  penalties  for  infringement  of 
its  various  details  were  based  upon  no  minor  scale. 

By  the  new  school  law  the  district  system  was  abolished, 
and  the  management  of  the  public  schools  was  vested  directly 
in  the  towns,  through  the  general  school  committee.  In 
support  of  the  law,  it  was  said  that  "  the  result  will  be 
fewer  schools  and  better.  There  will  no  longer  be  schools 
of  one,  two,  or  three  scholars,  as  has  frequently  been  the 
case  in  some  of  the  sparsely  populated  hill-towns  for  the 
last  few  years.  By  a  supplementary  act,  union  districts 
and  contiguous  districts  in  different  towns  are  also  abol- 
ished, and  the  way  of  appraising  the  property  of  such  dia- 
68 


538  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

tiicts  is  prescribed.  Towns  shall  assume  all  the  debts  of 
districts,  and  deduct  their  amount  from  the  amount  to  be 
remitted  to  the  districts." 

On  the  31st  of  January  the  Messrs.  Shanly  began  work 
for  the  completion  of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel ;  and  such  was 
the  progress  made  during  the  year,  that  it  was  predicted  by 
sanguine  observers  that  the  mountain  would  be  pierced,  at 
least  one  year  and  a  half  earlier  than  the  date  appointed  in 
the  contract.  The  contractors  increased  their  machinery, 
and  doubled  the  working  force. 

In  the  year  1867  Patrick  S.  Gilmore,  a  citizen  of  Boston, 
conceived  the  idea  of  celebrating  the  restoration  of  peace 
by  a  musical  festival  of  gigantic  proportions.  On  the  15th 
of  June,  1869,  the  idea  was  realized,  and  the  '*  Peace  Jubi- 
lee "  was  inaugurated.  A  monster  wooden  building,  five 
hundred  feet  long  and  three  hundred  feet  wide,  had  been 
erected,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  audience,  on  the 
Back  Bay  lands  in  Boston.  The  arrangements  for  lighting 
the  building  were  ample,  over  four  miles  of  gas  pipe  being 
used,  which  consumed  fourteen  thousand  cubic  feet  of  gas 
per  hour.  The  organ  employed  on,  and  expressly  built  for 
the  occasion,  contained  ten  hundred  and  eleven  pipes ;  and 
the  grand  chorus  comprised  one  hundred  and  eight  musical 
societies,  or  ten  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-one 
singers.  Ten  hundred  and  ninety-four  instruments  were 
used  in  the  orchestra,  the  first  violin  being  played  by  Ole 
Bull,  and  the  second  by  Carl  Rosa.  In  certain  pieces  which 
were  performed  during  the  festival  use  was  ma;le  of  can- 
nons, anvils,  and  all  the  bells  in  the  city,  the  last  being 
controlled  by  electricity.  The  Peace  Jubilee  lasted  five 
days.  Such  a  musical  gathering  had  never  before  been 
assembled  on  the  American  continent. 


SI  ACE    THE    WAR.  539 

On  the  ITth  of  August  the  State  Temperance  convoMtioii 
met  in  Boston,  and  adopted  twenty  resohilions,  of  the  usual 
style.  On  the  -4lh  of  August  tlic  democrats  asseml)led  at 
Worcester,  and  without  advancing  any  new  theories  upon 
national  subjects,  nominated  John  Quincy  Adams  for  gov- 
ernor, and  S.  O.  Lamb  for  lieutenant  governor.  The  rei)ub- 
licans  met  at  the  same  ph\ce,  on  the  22d  of  September,  and 
renominated  jNIr.  Claflin  for  governor,  and  Mr.  Tucker  for 
lieutenant  governor.  On  the  28th  of  September  a  party 
was  organized  at  Worcester,  under  the  name  of  the  Labor 
Reform,  and  the  following  ticket  was  put  in  nomination  : 
E.  i\L  Chamberlin,  for  governor,  and  James  Chattawa}',  for 
lieutenant  governor.  The  election  in  November  resulted  in 
the  choice  of  all  the  republican  candidates  for  state  officers. 

Li  his  inaugural  address  to  the  legislature  of  1870  Gov- 
ernor Claflin  alluded  to  the  unnecessary  length  of  the 
sessions,  which  had  caused  so  much  dissatisfaction  among  the 
people.  "  The  conviction  is  prevalent,"  he  said,  ''  tliat  our 
general  laws  are  well  settled,  and  that  the  constant  liability 
to  change,  incident  to  annual  sessions,  half  a  year  in  length, 
is  very  injurious  to  business,  and  wholly  unnecessary.  Prob- 
ably a  legislature  sitting  once  in  two  years  would  meet  all 
the  real  wants  of  the  community.  Now  there  is  scarcely 
time  to  learn  the  results  of  a  law,  before  it  may  be  altered 
or  repealed.  The  cost  of  yearly  sessions  is  a  circumstance 
not  to  be  disregarded,  the  expense  now  reaching  annually 
nearly  four  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Half  of  this  would 
be  saved  to  our  tax-payers,  already  too  heavily  burdened." 
Notwithstanding  the  wholesome  advice  of  the  executive,  the 
General  Court  continued  to  sit  through  one  hundred  and 
seventy  days,  Or  until  the  23d  of  June. 

During   the    session    the   li(j[Uor    question    was   again   dis- 


540  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

cnssecl,  and  the  prohibitory  law  was  amended  so  as  to  permit 
the  sale  of  ale,  porter,  cider,  lager  beer  and  strong  beer,  in 
towns  and  cities  authorizing  the  sale.  Many  days  were  also 
consumed  in  the  discussion  of  the  affairs  of  the  Boston,  Hart- 
ford, and  Erie  Railroad.  In  preceding  years  the  corporation 
of  this  road  had  received  from  tlie  state  a  subsidy  amounting 
to  five  millions  of  dollars,  which  it  was  averred  by  the 
directors  would  be  a  sufficient  sum  to  enable  them  to  com- 
plete the  road  to  Fishkill.  Early  in  1870  it  Avas  learned 
that  the  corporation  was  about  to  petition  for  further  state 
aid ;  and  in  anticipation  of  such  a  petition,  a  committee  of 
the  council  was  appointed  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the 
former.  The  governor  submitted  the  report  of  this  commit- 
tee to  the  legislature,  showing  conclusively,  that  "  at  the  time 
the  grant  of  five  millions  of  dollars  was  passed,  the  statement 
of  the  directors  that  it  would  be  sufficient  to  complete  the 
road  to  Fishkill  was  correct ;  but  that  at  that  very  time  a 
portion  of  the  money  was  invested  in  the  bonds  and  stock 
of  the  corporation,  which  were  held  in  the  expectation  and 
hope  of  an  advance  in  price ;  that  in  addition  to  this,  the 
directors  had  pledged  a  large  amount  of  the  bonds  for 
advances,  instead  of  selling  them  in  the  usual  way ;  that  in 
November,  1869,  many  of  the  bonds  had  been  sold  at  re- 
duced prices  to  pay  the  advances,  and  the  result  was  a  larger 
loss  to  the  corporation  than  if  they  had  been  sold  in  the 
market  at  the  time  of  their  issue  ;  that  this  loss,  however, 
did  not  affect  the  state  so  directly  as  the  loss  arising  from 
the  speculation  in  the  stock,  which  in  one  item  alone  was 
shown  to  be  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  ;  that 
the  authority  of  the  directors,  by  the  act  of  incorporation,  to 
take  this  course,  was  at  least  doubtful,  and  as  trustees  of  a 
great  corporation   they  certainly  had   no  warrant   for   thus 


SINCE    THE    WAR.  541 

employing  the  money  placed  in  tlioir  hands."  The  governor 
withheld  his  assent  for  any  further  issue  of  tlie  bonds  of  t he- 
state  until  the  whole  matter  should  have  been  passed  upon 
by  the  legislature. 

Shortly  afterward  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  h-gisla- 
ture  for  a  further  loan  of  three  millions  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  to  the  company,  which  was  referred  to  the  committee 
on  finance.  This  committee  reported  adversely ;  but  a  few 
da3's  before  adjournment,  the  bill  passed  both  houses  of  the 
General  Court.  It  was  vetoed  by  the  governor,  and  then 
failed  to  pass  over  the  veto.  Circumstances  which  followed 
in  rapid  succession  proved  conclusively  that  the  railroad 
corporation  was  hopelessly  insolvent.  In  his  message  of 
1871,  the  governor  referred  to  these  proceedings,  and  added : 
"  The  early  completion  of  the  road  is  most  desirable,  and  no 
doubt  the  work  will  be  resumed  as  soon  as  the  courts  are 
able  to  unravel  its  complicated  affairs,  and  to  give  the  right- 
ful owners  possession." 

The  work  on  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  progressed  rapidly 
during  the  year.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1870,  an  aggregate 
of  eleven  thousand  and  twent3^-six  feet  had  been  completed. 
The  depth  of  the  central  shaft  was  seven  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  feet ;  and  the  cost  of  the  work  done  up  to  that 
time  was  about  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  On  the  1st 
of  January,  1871,  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  feet  had  been  completed,  —  thus  showing  a  gain  fur 
the  year  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  ninty-six  feet. 
The  cost  of  the  work  done  up  to  that  time  was  one  million 
two  hundred  and  forty-eight  thousand  one  hundred  and 
eighty-four  dollars. 

In  the  political  canvass  of  the  year,  —  one  of  the  most 
important  in  the  history  of  the  state,  —  four  parties  were  ni 


542  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  field.  The  campaign  was  opened  by  the  prohibitory 
party,  who  held  a  convention  in  Boston  on  the  17th  of 
August,  and  nominated  Wendell  Phillips  for  governor,  and 
adopted  a  platform  embracing  twelve  resolutions.  This 
party  aimed  "  at  the  extinction  of  the  entire  dram-shop 
system,  national  and  state,  because  it  is  dangerous  and 
injurious  to  every  interest  of  the  commonwealth  ;  "  and  de- 
clared "  that  the  abolition  of  slavery  and  the  preservation 
of  our  Union  having  been  accomplished,  there  is  no  issue 
now  before  the  country  equal  to  that  of  prohibition  ;  "  and 
earnestly  invited  their  fellow-citizens,  of  all  political  parties, 
to  unite  with  them  in  giving  this  great  reform  a  complete 
victory. 

A  convention  of  the  Labor  Reform  party  met  at  Worces- 
ter on  the  8th  of  September,  and  also  nominated  Wendell 
Phillips  for  governor.  This  party  passed  resolutions,  de- 
manding the  enactment  of  a  law  prohibiting  all  incorporated 
and  other  manufacturing  establishments  in  the  common- 
wealth from  employing  females  and  minors  more  than  ten 
hours  per  day ;  a  reduction  of  the  hours  of  labor  to  eight 
hours  for  all  labor  employed  at  the  public  expense  by  states, 
counties,  cities,  and  towns,  as  experiments  ;  and  "  the  repeal 
of  so  much  of  the  national  banking  law  as  allows  banks  to 
issue  notes  circulating  as  money,  and  the  substitution  there- 
for of  legal  tender  government  notes  as  the  best  and  safest 
currency  the  government  ever  had." 

The  Republican  state  convention  met  at  Worcester,  on 
the  5th  of  October,  and  nominated  William  Claflin  for  gov- 
ernor, and  Joseph  Tucker  for  lieutenant  governor.  On  the 
12th  of  the  same  month  the  Democratic  convention  assem- 
bled at  Fitchburg,  and  nominated  John  Quincy  Adams  for 
governor.     Strong  efforts  were  made  to  introduce  resolutions 


SINCE   THE   IVAR.  543 

favoraLle  to  woman  suffrage  into  the  platforms  of  tlieso 
two  conventions  ;  but  they  were  resisted  by  a  huge  majority 
in  each,  and  the  proposed  resolutions  were  rejected.  Tho 
election  in  November  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  republi- 
can candidates  by  a  large  majority.  The  census  taken  in 
this  year  showed  a  population  in  Massachusetts  of  one  mil- 
lion four  hundred  and  fifty-seven  thousand  three  hundred 
and  fiftj'-one  souls. 

The  legislature  of  1871  assembled  on  the  4th  of  January, 
and  continued  in  session  until  the  26th  of  May.  A  consid- 
erable amount  of  important  business  was  transacted.  The 
name  of  North  Chelsea  was  changed  to  Revere  ;  two  new 
towns  were  created,  Maynard  being  formed  from  portions 
of  Stow  and  Sudbury,  and  Ayer  from  portions  of  Groton 
and  Shirley;  Somerville  and  Gloucester  were  incorporated 
as  cities.  The  only  important  change  made  in  the  liquor 
law  was  one  prohibiting  the  sale  of  malt  liquors,  unless  it 
were  permitted  in  the  different  towns  by  a  vote  of  the 
people.  As  the  law  stood  before,  the  sale  of  malt  liquors 
was  allowed,  unless  prohibited  in  the  several  towns  by  a 
popular  vote.  During  the  session  the  constabulary  system 
was  overhauled,  and  it  was  discovered  that  many  abuses  had 
been  committed  on  the  part  of  the  state  police.  A  bill  was 
passed,  providing  for  a  board  of  three  commissioners,  who 
were  made  responsible  for  the  acts  of  the  chief  of  the  con- 
stabulary force.  Among  the  appropriations  made,  was  a 
grant  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the  INIuseura  of  Compara- 
tive Zoology  in  Cambridge,  and  one  of  sixty  thousand  dollars 
for  a  new  normal  school  at  AVorcester. 

In  the  autumn,  the  political  canvass  was  unusually  brisk, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  several  persons,  each  of  whom  had  a 
strong  following  in  the  repubUcan  party,  aspired  to  the  office 


544  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  governor.  Foremost  among  these  men  stood  General 
Benjamin  F.  Butler,  of  Lowell,  who  early  announced  him- 
self as  a  competitor  for  the  honor,  and  left  neither  art  nor 
skill  untried  in  order  to  secure  the  position  of  chief  magis- 
trate of  the  commonwealth.  In  the  number  of  other  aspi- 
rants stood  Alexander  H.  Rice,  of  Boston,  George  B.  Loring, 
of  Salem,  Harvey  Jewell,  of  Boston,  and  William  B.  Wash- 
burn, of  Greenfield.  Messrs.  Jewell,  Loring,  and  Rice 
withdrew  their  names  before  the  day  of  the  convention, 
which  met  at  Springfield,  on  the  27th  of  September.  xVfter 
a  warm  debate,  the  opponents  of  General  Butler  united  on 
the  name  of  Mr.  Washburn,  and  nominated  him  by  a  vote 
of  six  hundred  and  forty-three  out  of  a  total  of  eleven 
hundred  and  sixteen.  Joseph  Tucker  was  nominated  for 
lieutenant  governor. 

The  Democratic  convention  assembled  at  Springfield  on 
the  14th  of  September  and  nominated  John  Quincy  Adams 
for  governor,  and  Samuel  O.  Lamb  for  lieutenant  governor. 
It  expressed  its  abhorrence  of  the  dominant  party  in  the 
following  resolution :  "  That  in  the  lauguage  adopted  by 
the  last  Democratic  state  convention,  '  the  labor  of  the 
country,  weak  by  its  necessities  in  its  defences  against  the 
cupidity  of  capitalists  and  in  its  abilitj^  to  compel  a  recog- 
nition of  its  just  rights,  especially  needs  the  protection  of 
just,  equal,  and  adequate  laws  ;  '  and  '  the  present  high  cost 
of  living,  and  consequent  inadequacy  of  wages  to  provide 
sufficient  means  of  support  for  our  poor  people,  are  mainly 
due  to  the  unjust  currency  system,  the  arbitrary  and  exces- 
sive taxation,  and  the  great  monopolies  which  have  been 
inflicted  upon  us  by  the  republican  party  !  '  "  The  conven- 
tion also  passed  a  resolution  condemning  the  prohibitory 
law  "as  an  odious  interference  with  personal  liberty,    the 


SIXCE   THE   WAR.  545 

prolific  parent  of  hypocrisy,  corruption,  and  crime,  as  an 
affront  to  public  decency  in  the  surrender  of  all  attemi)t 
to  enforce  the  law  upon  wealth  or  political  influence,  and 
with  its  attendant  satellite,  the  state  constabulary,  an  in- 
vasion of  municipal  rights,  and  a  degradation  of  the  ordinary 
and  appropriate  means  for  the  enforcement  of  the  laws." 

The  advocates  of  labor  reform  assembled  at  South  Fra- 
mingham  on  the  4th  of  October,  and  after  adopting  a  plat- 
form, nominated  E.  M.  Chamberlin,  of  Boston,  for  governor. 
On  the  same  day  the  prohibitionists  assembled  at  Boston, 
and  nominated  Judge  Robert  C.  Pitman,  of  New  Bedford,  for 
governor.  The  platform  was  similar  in  tone  to  that  adopted 
by  the  party  in  the  preceding  year,  with  one  noticeable 
additional  clause,  as  follows :  "  Since  woman  is  tlic  great- 
est sufferer  by  the  prevalence  of  drinking,  she  should  be 
the  greatest  helper  in  its  extirpation.  We,  therefore,  ask 
her  to  employ  every  right  she  now  possesses,  and  may  pos- 
sess, to  assist  in  this  reform,  being  assured  that  only  by 
lier  assistance  can  we  entirely  abolish  this  crime  against 
society,  humanity,  and  God."  The  election  took  place  on 
the  8th  of  November,  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  re- 
publican ticket  —  Mr.  Washburn's  majority  over  all  com- 
petitors being  upward  of  thirteen  thousand  votes. 

The  sul)ject  which  occupied  the  largest  share  of  the 
attention  of  the  new  legislature,  which  assembled  on  the 
8d  of  Januar}',  1872,  was  the  charter  of  the  Highland  Street 
Railway  Company  in  Boston,  which,  after  much  discus- 
sion, was  passed.  Two  new  towns  Avere  formed  —  Norwood, 
which  was  taken  from  Dedham,  and  ITolbrook,  which  was 
taken  from  Randolph.  Fitchburg  was  incorporated  as  a 
city.  The  legislature  also  increased  the  salaries  of  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  of  district  attorneys,  and, 
69 


546  HISTORY  OF  r.IASSACHUSETTS. 

in  several  instances,  of  police  justices ;  dissolved  insolvent 
corporations,  abolished  the  head-money  "which  immigrants 
had  been  obliged  to  paj^  changed  the  time  of  elections  in 
cities  from  Monday  to  Tuesday,  united  Haverhill  and  Brad- 
ford under  one  municipalit}^  reformed  the  alms-house  sys- 
tem, established  the  office  of  inspector  of  provisions,  and 
made  it  illegal  for  city  officials  to  make  or  have  a  pecuniary 
interest  in  contracts  with  their  own  city. 

The  political  campaign  of  the  year  was  not  so  exciting 
in  Massachusetts  as  in  many  other  states,  notwithstanding 
that  it  was  the  presidential  year.  On  the  31st  of  January 
the  supporters  of  female  suffrage  met  in  Boston,  and  declared, 
"  that,  as  negro  suffrage  was  a  political  necessity  in  1870, 
so  is  woman  suffrage  a  moral  necessity  in  1872."  The 
convention  adopted  the  following,  among  other  resolutions : 
"  That  we  call  upon  our  legislature  to  enact  a  law  conferring 
suffrage  upon  women  in  presidential  and  municipal  elections  ; 
also,  to  submit  an  amendment  to  the  state  constitution, 
abolishing  political  distinctions  on  account  of  sex.  That, 
so  long  as  one  half  of  our  citizens  are  taxed  and  governed 
without  consent,  every  voter  is  in  honor  bound  to  help  elect 
the  friends,  and  defeat  the  enemies,  of  impartial  suffrage, 
and  to  make  the  enfranchisement  of  women  the  cardinal 
principle  of  his  political  action." 

The  republican  convention  for  the  appointment  of  dele- 
gates to  the  national  nominating  bodj-,  met  at  Worcester  on 
the  10th  of  April,  and  while  recommending  the  renomi- 
nation  of  General  Grant  for  the  presidency,  it  urged  also 
the  nomination  of  Henry  Wilson  for  the  vice  presidency, 
"  feeling  that  Massachusetts  has  earned  this  distinction  by 
long  fidelity  to  the  republican  principles,  in  which  Henry 
Wilson  has  always  been  true  to  her  honor  and  to  the  best 


SINCE  Tin:  n:iA\  547 

sentiments  of  her  people."  At  a  convention  of  the  party 
held  later  in  the  season,  ^Ir.  Washburn  was  renominated 
for  governor,  and  Thomas  Talbot,  of  Billerica,  for  lieutenant 
governor. 

Conventions  of  the  democrats  and  liberal  republicans 
were  held  at  Worcester  on  the  11th  of  vScptember.  After 
declaring  its  conviction  that  "  the  platform  adopted  by  the 
Cincinnati  and  Baltimore  conventions  "  was  '*  thorougldy  re- 
publican, democratic,  and  patriotic,"  and  that  tlie  dominant 
party  had  violated  its  pledge,  and  "introduced  into  the 
administration  the  ideas  and  practice  of  personal  govarnment 
to  an  extent  without  precedent  in  the  history  of  the 
country,"  the  convention  cordially  indorsed  Horace  Greeley 
and  B.  Gratz  Brown  "  as  eminently  fit  for  the  posts  assigned 
them  by  the  two  great  national  conventions."  Charles  Sum- 
ner was  nominated  for  governor,  and  George  W.  Stearns, 
of  Chicopee,  for  lieutenant  governor.  The  following  reso- 
lution, ratifying  the  ticket,  was  adopted :  "  That  we  com- 
mend the  candidates  presented  by  the  concurrent  action 
of  the  two  conventions  this  day  to  the  suffrages  of  the 
honest  voters  of  the  commonwealth,  and  their  triumphant 
election  will  insure  a  discontinuance  of  the  trifling  legis- 
lation and  corrupt  practices  which  have  made  odious  the 
existing  administration."  Mr.  Sumner  subsequently  refused 
to  stand  as  a  candidate  for  governor,  and  the  name  of  F. 
W.  Bird,  of  Walpole,  was  substituted  on  the  ticket  by 
the  state  central  committees. 

The  election  took  place  on  the  4th  of  November.  Of 
the  votes  cast  for  presidential  electors,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-five  thousand  four  hundred  and  seventy-two  were  in 
favor  of  Grant  and  Wilson,  and  fifty-nine  thousand  two 
hundred  and   sixty  were   in   favor   of  Greeley  and   Brown. 


548  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Governor  Washburn  was  re-elected  by  a  majority  of  up- 
ward of  seventy-four  thousand  votes.  The  entire  republi- 
can state  ticket,  and  a  full  republican  delegation  to  Congress 
from  the  eleven  districts  were  also  chosen. 

On  the  17th  of  June  of  this  year  the  "World's  Peace 
Jubilee  and  International  Musical  Festival"  commenced  in 
Boston,  and  continued  until  the  4th  of  July.  Patrick  S. 
Gilmore  was  the  projector  and  director  of  this  grand  affair. 
A  large  building,  known  as  the  "  Coliseum,"  five  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  long  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide, 
was  erected  for  the  purpose.  The  chorus  numbered  twenty 
thousand  singers,  and  the  orchestra  one  thousand  instru- 
ments. Besides  home  organizations,  the  participation  of 
several  foreign  associations  was  secured,  prominent  among 
which  was  the  Grenadier  Guards  band  from  London,  the 
Garde  Republicaine  band  from  Paris,  the  Kaiser  Franz  Gren- 
adier Regiment  band  from  Berlin,  and  the  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many's Cornet  Quartet.  Herr  Johann  Strauss,  of  Vienna,  the 
distinguished  leader  and  composer,  and  Franz  Abt,  the  great 
German  song-writer,  were  present  during  the  festival,  and 
took  part  in  the  exercises.  Musically  considered,  the  jubi- 
lee was  a  marked  success ;  upward  of  one  hundred  thousand 
people  came  from  far  and  near  to  witness  the  displaj-,  and 
returned  home  with  the  conviction  that  it  was  at  least  un- 
precedented in  modern  times. 

On  the  9th  and  10th  of  November,  the  city  of  Boston 
was  visited  by  one  of  the  most  terrible  conflagrations  of 
modern  times.  The  fire  originated  about  seven  o'clock  on 
the  evening  of  the  9th,  at  the  corner  of  Summer  and 
Kingston  Streets,  and  gained  rapid  headway  before  anything 
was  done  to  check  it.  A  brisk  wind  carried  the  flames 
northward  nearly  to  State  Street,  through  the  richest  busi- 


SINCE    THE    WAR.  549 

ness  quarter  of  the  city,  lu3ing  in  ruins  must  of  the  dis- 
trict bounded  by  Summer,  Washington,  and  State  Streets 
and  the  Avater  front.  An  area  embracing  nearly  sixty-five 
acres  was  burnt  over,  and  seven  hundred  and  nine  build- 
ings of  brick  or  stone,  and  sixty-seven  of  wood,  together 
valued  at  upward  of  thirteen  million  and  a  half  dollars, 
were  consumed.  The  amount  of  personal  property  destroyed 
was  about  sixty  millions  of  dollars. 

An  extra  session  of  the  legislature  was  held  on  the  19tli 
of  November,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  means  for  the 
relief  of  Boston.  Several  insurance  companies  were  ren- 
dered bankrupt  by  the  fire,  and  a  demand  was  made  for 
new  charters,  or  for  a  general  insurance  law.  An  insur- 
ance act,  authorizing  any  ten  or  more  residents  of  the 
state  to  associate  themselves  together  for  the  purpose  of 
carr3-iug  on  the  business  of  fire  or  marine  insurance  with 
an  amount  of  capital  of  not  less  than  two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  passed  both  houses  of  the  legislature.  This 
act  contained  several  important  conditions  and  restrictions 
framed  for  the  better  protection  of  policy  holders.  An- 
other act  of  the  legislature  authorized  the  city  of  Boston 
to  issue  bonds  to  the  extent  of  twenty  millions  of  dol- 
lars, to  aid  the  owners  of  land  in  the  burnt  district  to 
restore  their  buildings  within  one  year  from  the  1st  of 
January,  1873.  Matters  of  minor  importance  were  also 
disposed  of,  and  the  extra  session  of  the  legislature  ended 
on  the  18th  of  December, 

The  financial  condition  of  the  state  at  the  close  of  the 
year  was  in  every  way  satisfactory.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  year  the  funded  debt  amounted  to  more  than  twenty- 
nine  millions  and  a  half,  and  on  the  1st  of  January,  1873, 
this  had   been    reduced   to   twenty-six   millions   and  a  half, 


550  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

plus  the  one  million  dollars  added  during  the  year  on 
account  of  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad  and  Hoosac 
Tunnel  loan.  There  were  in  the  treasury  at  the  close  of 
the  year  about  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  there 
remained  no  funded  liabilities  for  the  payment  of  which 
the  state  had  not  provided  a  sinking  fund.  On  the  12th 
of  December  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  was  opened  from  the 
eastern  portal  to  the  central  shaft.  There  still  remained 
at  that  time  three  thousand  feet  of  rock  to  penetrate 
between  the  shaft  and  the  western  portal,  and  the  con- 
tractors were  as  confident  as  ever  that  they  would  be  able 
to  complete  the  Avork  by  the  1st  of  January,  1874. 

The  session  of  the  legislature  which  began  in  January, 
1873,  and  closed  on  the  12th  of  June,  was  surpassed  in 
duration  only  by  those  of  1869  and  1870.  Early  in  the 
session,  George  S.  Boutwell,  who,  by  a  coalition  in  1851 
of  democrats  and  free  soilers,  had  been  chosen  governor  of 
the  commonwealth,  was  elected  as  United  States  senator, 
to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  election  of  Henry 
Wilson  to  the  vice  presidency. 

Among  the  important  acts  of  the  session  was  one  authoriz- 
ing the  governor  and  council  to  expend  two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  in  completing  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  and  its 
approaches,  and  also  prohibiting  the  consolidation  of  the 
Lowell  and  Fitchburg  Railroads  ;  an  act  doing  away  Avith 
the  power  of  cities  and  towns  to  legalize  the  sale  of  malt 
liquors,  and  acts  providing  for  the  erection  of  a  new  state 
prison,  and  an  insane  asylum  for  the  eastern  portion  of 
the  state.  With  regard  to  the  new  liquor  act,  it  Avas 
said,  "  It  brings  the  prohibitory  law  back  to  where  it 
was  in  1867,  the  only  drawback,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
friends   of    the   statute,   being   the   still    existing    provision 


'%. 


30ST0N,  B.B.TlXlSSEli. 


SINCE   THE   WAR.  551 

that  apothecaries  may  sell.  A  bill  to  do  away  with  this 
failed  by  a  small  majority  in  a  thin  house,  and  there  was 
no  attempt  to  reconsider ;  from  which  it  is  inferred  that 
an  impression  prevailed  that  the  matter  had  been  pushed 
far  enough  for  this  year."  An  important  change  was  made 
in  the  criminal  code,  to  the  effect  that,  when  a  person 
indicted  for  murder  or  manslaughter  is  acquitted  on  the 
ground  of  insanity,  the  court  shall  order  such  person 
to  one  of  the  state  lunatic  asylums  for  life ;  and  he  may 
be  discharged  from  such  custody  only  by  the  governor 
and  council,  when  the  former  is  satisfied,  upon  a  careful 
hearing  of  the  matter,  that  it  may  be  done  without  injury  to 
others. 

Notwithstanding  the  unusual  monetary  and  commercial 
depression  of  the  year,  jSIassachusetts  successfully  main- 
tained her  financial  credit  and  prosperity.  The  funded 
debt  of  the  state  did  not  exceed  twenty-eight  millions 
and  a  half,  and,  with  few  exceptions,  the  state  had  no  debt 
whose  liquidation  was  not  contemplated  by  established 
sinking  funds,  and  their  large  and  increasing  accumula- 
tions. The  increase  in  the  valuation  of  real  and  personal 
estate  in  1873,  amounted  to  nearly  sixty-seven  millions  of 
dollars  over  that  of  the  preceding  year.  The  various  educa- 
tional, charitable,  reformatory,  and  penal  institutions  of  the 
state  continued  in  a  prosperous  condition.  During  the  year 
the  new  Normal  School  at  "Worcester  was  completed,  the 
Agricultural  College  was  established  on  a  firmer  basis,  and 
the  Technical  Institutes  were  crowded  with  pupils. 

A  site  in  the  western  part  of  the  town  of  Concord, 
embracing  nearly  one  hundred  acres,  was  selected  and  ap- 
proved by  the  executive  council  for  the  new  state  prison  ; 
and  a  portion  of  land,  embracing  about  two  hundred  acres, 


552  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

lying  five  miles  from  Salem,  was  chosen  as  the  site  for  the 
new  hospital  for  the  insane. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  history  of  Boston 
during  the  year  v/as  the  election,  held  on  the  7th  of  October, 
which  determined  the  annexation  to  Boston  of  Charlestown, 
Brighton,  and  West  Roxbiuy,  to  take  effect  on  the  1st  of 
January  following.  The  original  limits  of  Boston  embraced 
six  hundred  and  ninety  acres.  By  the  filling  in  of  surround- 
ing flats,  and  the  addition  of  South  and  East  Boston,  seven- 
teen hundred  acres  were  acquired ;  by  the  annexation  of 
Roxbury,  twenty-one  hundred  acres ;  by  the  annexation 
of  Dorchester,  forty-eight  hundred  acres ;  and  by  filling  flats 
in  other  places,  eight  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  Pre- 
vious to  the  annexation  of  1873,  Boston  thus  embraced 
ten  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres.  By  the  ad- 
dition of  Charlestown,  Brighton,  and  West  Roxbury  the 
area  of  the  city  was  increased  to  nineteen  thousand  one 
hundred  acres,  and  the  total  valuation  to  seven  hundred 
and  sixty-five  millions  four  hundred  and  seventy  thousand 
six  hundred  and  fifty-one  dollars.  The  rebuilding  of  the 
burned  district  during  tlie  year  was  rapidly  conducted,  and 
several  very  important  and  advantageous  changes  were  made 
in  the  laying  out  of  the  streets  and  squares. 

On  the  3d  of  September  the  democratic  state  conven- 
tion assembled  at  Worcester,  and  after  adopting  resolutions 
denouncing  the  length  of  the  legislative  sessions,  and  the 
corrupt  execution  of  the  liquor  law,  nominated  William 
Gaston,  the  mayor  of  Boston,  for  governor,  and  William  L. 
Smith,  of  Springfield,  for  lieutenant  governor.  The  republi- 
can convention  met  at  Worcester  seven  days  later.  The 
assembling  of  this  body,  comprising  over  one  thousand  dele- 
gates, caused  more   excitement   in   the   state,  and  attracted 


SINCE   THE   WAR.  553 

more  attention  out  of  it,  than  that  of  any  otlicr  conven- 
tion ever  held  in  Massachusetts.  General  B.  F.  Ihitler, 
whose  determined  efforts,  for  many  months,  had  been  to 
secure  for  himself  the  republican  nomination  f(jr  gover- 
nor, personally  attended  tlie  convention,  and  was  conspicu- 
ous in  directing  the  movements  of  his  followers.  •  A  stormy 
debate,  which  took  part  early  in  the  day  between  Gen- 
eral Butler  and  his  leading  opponent.  Congressman  George 
F.  Hoar,  and  the  discussion  which  followed,  resulted  in 
a  very  decided  vote  adverse  to  the  former.  Immediately 
after  the  opening  of  the  evening  session.  General  Butler, 
whose  "wisdom  had  already  discerned  his  strength  in  the 
convention,  greatly  surprised  his  followers  and  friends  by 
withdrawing  from  the  contest.  Governor  "Washburn  was 
then  renominated  by  acclamation,  and  in  November  he  was 
re-elected  by  a  majority  of  nearly  thirteen  thousand  votes. 

During  the  extra  session  of  the  legislature,  in  1872,  a  reso- 
lution was  adopted  censuring  Senator  Charles  Sumner  for 
having  introduced  a  bill  in  the  United  States  Senate,  de- 
claring "  that  the  names  of  battles  with  our  fellow-citizens 
shall  not  be  continued  in  the  army  register,  or  placed  upon 
the  regimental  colors  of  the  United  States."  Mr.  Sumner 
was  deeply  aggrieved  at  the  ill-advised  censure  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  equally  so  were  his  friends  and  the  vast 
majority  of  citizens  in  the  commonwealth.  Scarcely  had 
the  session  for  1874  opened,  when  a  large  number  of  peti- 
tions, unanimously  signed,  Avere  received,  asking  that  the 
harsh  resolution  be  rescinded.  A  resolution  rescinding  the 
resolution  was  promptly  offered,  and,  after  being  long 
debated  upon,  was  adopted  in  both  branches  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court. 

A  few  weeks  later,  on  the  11th  of  March,  Charles  Sumner, 
70 


554  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

after  a  very  brief  illness,  died  in  Washington.  jNIillions  were 
in  tears ;  and  no  death  since  that  of  the  mart3-red  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  had  so  touched  the  hearts  of 
the  American  people.  Mr.  Sumner  was  born  in  Boston 
on  the  6th  of  January,  1811  ;  was  graduated  from  Harvard 
College  in  1830 ;  studied  law,'  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1834,  and  from  this  time  onward,  until  his  election 
to  the  United  States  Senate,  engaged  himself  in  legal  occu- 
pations, and  conspicuously  in  the  anti-slavery  contest.  "  On 
the  record  of  the  grandest  movement  of  the  age,"  says 
a  writer,  "  culminating  in  the  dominion  of  right  over  wrong, 
in  the  liberation  of  millions  from  thraldom,  and  in  the 
establishment  of  freedom  over  this  broad  continent,  his 
name  will  ever  stand  conspicuous.  Wherever  in  this  wide 
world  a  human  heart  quivers  beneath  the  rod  of  the  op- 
pressor, it  will  derive  hope  and  inspiration  from  the  fear- 
less utterances  of  this  illustrious  champion  in  defence  of  civil 
rights,  equality,  and  fraternity.'^ 

After  the  death  of  Senator  Sumner,  a  long  contest,  ex- 
tending over  several  weeks,  took  place  in  choosing  his 
successor.  The  republican  members  of  the  legislature  were 
divided  in  their  preference,  their  two  leading  candidates 
being  Henry  L.  Dawes  and  Ebenezer  R.  Hoar.  The  demo- 
crats voted  for  Benjamin  R.  Curtis.  At  length  a  com- 
promise was  effected,  and  William  B.  Washburn,  governor 
of  the  state,  Avas  elected  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-nine  out  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven.  On  the 
80th  of  April  Governor  Washburn  resigned  the  execu- 
tive chair  to  lieutenant  governor  Thomas  Talbot. 

Foremost  among  the  acts  of  the  legislature  was  one  limit- 
ing the  hours  of  labor  for  minors  under  eighteen  years 
of    age,    and   for   women,   in   the   manufacturing    establish- 


SINCE   THE   U'AIi. 


ODD 


ments  of  the  state  to  tea  hours  per  day ;  and  an  act  abolish- 
ing the  Board  of  State  Police  Commissioners,  and  giving 
the  appointment  of  the  chief  of  the  force  directly  to  the 
governor  and  council.  An  attempt  Mas  made  to  bring 
about  the  repeal  of  the  prohibitory  law,  but  it  failed  of 
its  purpose.  The  work  of  the  contractors  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Iloosac  Tunnel  was  iinished,  and  the  tunnel 
surrendered  to  the  state.  The  total  cost  of  the  tunnel  to 
the  1st  of  January,  1875,  was  twelve  millions  nine  hundred 
and  seventy-three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-two 
dollars. 

The  great  question  before  the  legislature  of  this  year  was 
the  means  to  be  used  for  utilizing  the  Iloosac  Tunnel  to 
the  best  advantage.  Several  plans  were  submitted,  fi'om 
time  to  time,  in  the  legislature,  but  no  agreement  was 
reached  upon  any  one  of  them.  At  length  the  subject 
was  disposed  of  by  referring  it  to  "  five  competent  and 
discreet  persons  as  corj)orators,"  to  be  appointed  by  the 
governor,  "  who  shall  examine  and  report  to  the  next  legis- 
lature a  plan  for  the  utiliziition  of  the  Troy  and  Green- 
field Railroad  and  Iloosac  Tunnel,  and  for  the  organization 
and  perfection  of  one  or  more  continuous  consolidated  lines 
of  railroad  from  Boston  to  tlie  Hudson  Iliver  by  way  of 
the  Hoosac  Tunnel,  with  a  view  of  promoting  the  estab- 
lishment of  one  or  more  competing  lines  of  railroad  to  the 
West." 

On  the  IGth  of  May  a  dam,  which  confined  a  large  reser- 
voir in  the  upper  part  of  the  town  of  Williamsburg,  in 
the  county  of  Hampshire,  broke  away,  causing  a  most  dis- 
astrous flood.  This  reservoir  contained  the  reserve  water 
supply  for  the  factories  on  Mill  River,  in  the  villages  of 
Williamsburg,  Haydenville,  and  Skinnerville   in   the   town- 


656  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

ship  of  Williamsburg,  and  Leeds  and  Florence  in  North- 
ampton, and  covered  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  acres. 
The  dam  began  to  give  way  at  about  half  past  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  before  any  warning  could  be 
given  the  terrific  flood  had  swept  down  the  valley,  over- 
whelming everything  in  its  maddened  course.  This  dis- 
aster occasioned  a  pecuniary  loss  of  about  one  million  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars ;  the  greater  part  of  Williams- 
burg and  Leeds,  and  large  portions  of  Haydenville  and 
Skinnerville,  were  destroyed  ;  two  hundred  lives  were  lost 
in  the  four  villages,  and  numerous  families  were  rendered 
homeless.  This  catastrophe  was  the  result  of  the  delinquency 
of  the  parties  who  were  concerned  in  originating  and  con- 
structing the  dam  and  reservoir.  The  legislature  voted  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers. 

The  political  campaign  of  the  3'ear  was  opened  by  the 
democratic  convention,  which  assembled  at  Worcester  on 
the  9th  of  September,  and  was  characterized  by  the  best 
of  harmony  and  good  feeling.  William  Gaston,  of  Boston, 
was  nominated  for  governor,  and  William  L.  Smith,  of 
Springfield,  for  lieutenant  governor.  The  republican  con- 
vention met  on  the  7th  of  October,  and  nominated  Thomas 
Talbot  for  governor,  and  Horatio  G.  Knight,  of  Easthampton, 
for  lieutenant  governor.  The  election  occurred  on  the  3d 
of  November,  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Mr.  Gaston 
for  governor,  but  to  all  the  other  state  offices  the  republi- 
can candidates  were  elected.  Governor  Gaston's  majority 
was  seven  thousand  and  thirty-two  votes.  There  was  a 
republican  majority  in  the  legislature  of  seventy-eight  on 
a  joint  ballot. 

In  November,  1873,  four  women  were  chosen  on  the 
Boston   school   committee,    to   serve    during    the    following 


SLYCE   THE   WAR.  ,Go7 

year.  On  the  organization  of  the  committee,  in  Januar}', 
seats  were  refused  to  these  women,  on  the  ground  that  they 
were  not  legally  qualified.  Tlie  matter  was  carried  to  the 
lecrislature,  and  a  bill  was  introduced  declarincr  women  not 
disqualified  to  act  on  school  committees.  In  April,  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  ruled  that  there  was  no  con- 
stitutional objection  to  the  passage  of  such  a  l>ill.  The  Act 
was  then  passed  in  the  legislature,  on  the  last  day  of  the 
session,  declaring  that  sex  was  no  disqualification  for  the 
office  of  school  committee.  No  further  action,  however, 
was  taken  by  the  committee  during  the  year,  and  the  seats 
which  the  women  were  elected  to  occupy  remained  vacant. 
At  the  election  of  1874,  seven  women  were  chosen  on  the 
school  committee,  and  no  objection  was  made  to  their 
admission. 

The  legislature  of  1875  convened  on  the  Gth  of  January, 
and  was  prorogued  on  the  19th  of  May,  — the  session  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-four  days  being,  with  one  exception, 
the  shortest  that  had  been  held  for  ten  years.  The  legisla- 
ture passed  two  hundred  and  forty-three  acts  and  seventy- 
eight  resolves,  all  of  which  were  signed  by  the  governor. 

The  legislature  of  the  preceding  year  appointed  as  cor- 
porators of  the  Iloosac  Tunnel,  WiUiam  B.  "Washburn, 
Charles  Francis  Adams,  Jr.,  P.  A.  Chadbourne,  S.  M. 
Crosby,  and  S.  B.  Stebbins ;  and  early  in  the  session  of  1875 
these  gentlemen  submitted  an  exhaustive  report  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  also  a  bill  for  the  consideration  of  the  legislature. 
This  bill  provided  for  the  appointment,  by  the  governor,  of 
five  persons  to  be  directors  of  the  Boston,  Hoosac  Tunnel, 
and  Western  Railroads,  with  all  the  powers  exercised  by 
directors  of  other  railroad  corporations.  All  the  state  prop- 
ertv  was  to  be  transferred  to  these  directors,  and  they  were 


558  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

to  be  authorized  to  consolidate  with  such  lines  as  it  might 
be  found  uecess'ary  to  include  in  a  through  line  to  the  West. 
A  joint  special  committee  appointed  by  the  two  branches 
of  the  General  Court  to  consider  the  subject  of  the  Hoosac 
Tunnel  line  of  railroads,  after  long  consideration,  submitted 
a  bill,  which  was  substantially  the  same  in  its  provisions  as 
that  recommended  by  the  corporators.  In  the  House,  Mr. 
S.  Z.  Bowman,  of  Somerville,  introduced  as  a  substitute  a 
bill  embodying  the  "  toll  gate  "  j^lan,  so  called.  It  provided 
for  the  appointment  of  an  official  to  have  charge  of  the  tun- 
nel, under  the  direction  of  the  governor  and  council ;  gave 
to  all  railroads  which  could  reach  the  tunnel  authority  to 
ruu  their  cars  through  it,  each  car  to  be  subject  to  a  toll, 
the  levying  and  collection  of  which  should  be  the  duty  of 
the  manager. 

The  bill  also  contained  a  provision,  which  was  very  ob- 
noxious to  many  of  the  members.  It  was,  that  the  contract 
Avith  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  Company,  known  as  "  the 
twenty  per  cent,  contract,"  should  be  abrogated.  This 
conti'act  was  entered  into  by  the  company  mentioned,  at  a 
time  when  the  state  was  hesitating  as  to  the  comparative 
expediency  of  abandoning  the  money  already  spent,  or  going 
on  with  the  completion  of  the  tunnel ;  and  by  it  the  com- 
pany bound  itself  to  pay  to  the  state  twenty  per  cent,  of 
the  net  receipts  for  freight  and  passengers  going  through 
the  tunnel.  The  contest  on  the  proposition  to  abrogate 
this  contract  Avas  of  the  bitterest  character ;  but  to  the 
surprise  of  a  great  many,  the  bill  with  this  provision  was 
passed  by  both  branches,  and  on  the  oOth  of  Marcli  was 
signed  by  the  governor.  Later  in  the  session  a  bill  appro- 
priating one  million  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the 
purpose  of  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  the  preceding  bill, 


SINCE   THE   ]VAR.  559 

the  laying  of  tracks,  and  so  forth,  was  also  passed  by  a 
very  large  vote. 

The  liquor  question  received  also  the  early  and  earnest 
attention  of  the  legislators,  and  on  the  18th  of  February  a 
bill  was  reported  to  the  House  to  regulate  the  sale  of  in- 
toxicating liquors.  This  bill  provided  for  the  repeal  of  the 
prohibitory  law,  and  for  the  issuing  of  licenses  by  the  mayors 
and  aldermen  of  cities  and  by  the  selectmen  of  towns.  It 
was  amended  in  the  House  in  many  waj^s,  and  then  was 
refused  passage,  and  was  recommitted  to  the  joint  special 
committee  on  the  liquor  law.  The  committee  reported 
back  the  original  bill  substantially  as  at  first  reported,  and 
in  spite  of  opposition,  it  was  passed  through  the  House.  In 
the  Senate  it  was  amended,  and  then,  amendments  and  all, 
was  carried  through  triumphantl}',  and  was  signed  by  the 
governor  on  the  oth  of  A2:)ril.  On  the  1st  of  May  it  became 
a  law  of  the  commonwealth.  A  few  days  later  the  old 
state  police  force  was  abolished,  and  a  bill  establishing  a 
state  detective  force  was  passed.  This  bill  provided  for  the 
.appointment  by  the  governor  of  a  chief  of  the  state  detec- 
tive force,  and  as  many  state  detectives,  not  exceeding 
thirty  in  number,  as  the  governor  and  council  might  deter- 
mine ;  it  conferred  all  the  j^owers  of  police  and  all  the 
powers  of  constables,  Avith  the  exception  of  the  service  of 
civil  process ;  and  provided  that  all  property  of  the  common- 
wealth in  the  hands  of  the  state  police  should  be  transferred 
to  the  new  force. 

The  interests  of  the  city  of  Boston  occupied  a  full  share 
of  the  attention  of  the  legislature.  A  bill  was  passed  pro- 
viding for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  take  lands 
for  the  laying  out  of  public  parks  within  the  city,  and 
authorizing  them  to  co-operate  with  commissioners  appointed 


560  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

by  adjoining  cities  and  towns,  in  the  laying  out  of  such 
parks.  On  the  0th  of  June,  a  majority  of  the  citizens  of 
Boston,  at  a  special  election,  voted  in  favor  of  this  measure. 
Later  in  the  season  a  board  of  commissioners  was  appointed. 
On  the  31st  of  March,  an  act  to  establish  a  water  board  for 
the  city  of  Boston  was  passed.  In  the  closing  days  of  the 
session,  the  committee  on  the  judiciary  reported  a  bill 
providing  for  a  board  of  education,  which  should  take  the 
place  of  the  Boston  school  committee,  to  be  composed  of 
twenty-four  unpaid  members,  to  be  elected  at  large  ;  and  a 
superintendent  of  schools  and  six  supervisors,  to  be  paid. 
This  bill  met  with  violent  opposition  in  the  House ;  and 
finally,  a  bill  was  passed  containing  the  provisions  of  the 
judiciary  committee's  bill.  The  name  "  Board  of  Educa- 
tion "  was  also  changed  to  School  Committee.  It  then  went 
to  the  Senate  ;  and  in  that  branch  was  referred  to  the  com- 
mittee on  the  judiciary,  which  body  reported  it  back  in  a 
new  draught,  providing  for  the  election  of  one  member  from 
each  ward,  and  twelve  at  large.  The  Senate  substituted 
the  House  bill,  and  it  became  a  law. 

On  the  fourth  and  final  ballot  for  the  election  of  a  United 
States  Senator  to  serve  for  the  full  term  of  six  years  from 
the  4th  of  March,  which  was  taken  on  the  20th  of  January, 
Henry  L.  Dawes,  of  Pittsfield,  was  chosen  by  a  vote  of  one 
hundred  and  forty. 

On  Monday,  the  19th  of  April,  occurred  the  centennial 
celebrations  of  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord.  It 
was  one  of  the  memorable  da^-s  of  the  year  ;  and  thousands 
came  from  all  parts  of  New  England  and  the  whole  country, 
to  witness  the  patriotic  proceedings.  At  Concord,  the  old 
places  of  historic  fame  were  revisited  with  interest ;  there 
was  a  long  procession,  composed  of  military  and  civil  organi- 


SINCE    THE    WAR.  561 

zations ;  an  oration  was  delivered  by  George  William  Curtis, 
of  New  York  ;  an  ode  was  read  by  Professor  James  Russell 
Lowell,  and  other  literary  and  luusieal  exercises  enlivened 
the  occasion.  At  Lexington,  the  attendance  of  people  was 
much  larger  than  at  Concord.  The  programme  for  the  day 
W'as  of  a  similar  character,  and  included  an  oration  by 
Richard  II.  Dana,  Jr.,  an  ode  by  John  G.  Whittier,  and 
poems  and  addresses  b}'  other  distinguished  personages.  In 
each  of  the  towns  a  public  dinner  was  served  under  a  huge 
pavilion  erected  for  the  purpose  ;  the  decorations  were  pro- 
fuse ;  and  in  the  evening,  brilliant  illuminations,  and  min- 
strelsy, and  the  dance  concluded  the  festivities  of  a  day 
never  to  be  forgotten  by  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  old 
commonwealth.  The  event  was  rendered  more  impressive 
by  the  attendance  of  the  president  of  the  United  States  and 
of  several  members  of  his  cabinet. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  centennial  celebrations  at  Lex- 
ington and  Concord  were  on  a  scale  of  unusual  magnificence, 
the  17th  of  June  —  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  —  proved,  not  alone  for  Massachu- 
setts, but  also  for  the  country,  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
daj-s  of  the  century.  In  anticipation  of  the  occasion,  the 
most  extensive  preparations  Avere  made  by  the  city  of 
Boston,  and  invitations  to  be  present  were  sent  to  the  prin- 
cipal executive  officers  of  the  United  States,  and  governors 
of  the  several  states ;  and  the  entire  militia  organization  of 
the  state  were  ordered  out  for  review  and  for  escort  duty. 
It  being  a  legal  holiday,  the  public  buildings  and  offices 
throughout  the  commonwealth  were  closed,  and  all  busi- 
ness, except  that  connected  with  the  celebration,  was 
suspended.  All  of  the  public  buildings  in  Boston  and 
Charlestown  District,  and  also  many  private  buildings,  were 
71 


562  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

handsomly  decorated  •svith  flags,  bunting,  and  flowers.  At 
all  points  of  historic  interest  connected  with  the  revolution- 
ary battle  inscriptions  were  placed,  giving  a  clear  and 
concise  statement  of  the  event  to  be  commemorated.  The 
procession  included,  besides  the  militia  of  the  state,  numer- 
ous militar}^  organizations  from  all  the  New  England  states, 
and  from  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and 
South  Carolina.  It  moved  in  nine  divisions,  and  the  time 
occupied  in  passing  a  given  point — all  delays  being  de- 
ducted—  was  three  hours  and  fifty  minutes. 

The  services  on  Bunker  Hill  were  held  in  a  large  pavilion, 
erected  on  the  southerly  side  of  the  monument  grounds. 
The  civic  procession  reached  the  hill  about  a  quarter  before 
six,  and  the  seats  in  the  pavilion  were  soon  filled.  After 
prayer  by  the  Rev.  Rufus  Ellis,  D.  D,,  and  a  hymn  which 
was  rendered  by  the  Apollo  Club  of  Boston,  Charles  Dev- 
cns,  Jr.,  the  soldier,  the  scholar,  and  the  jurist,  delivered 
an  address,  which  was  listened  to  with  close  attention. 
Speeches  were  also  made  by  the  Hon.  G.  Washington  War- 
ren, Major  General  Sherman,  Vice  President  Wilson,  and 
by  several  governors  of  states. 

The  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  day  when  Wash- 
ington assumed  command  of  the  American  army  was  cele- 
brated at  Cambridge  on  the  3d  of  July.  Almost  directly 
under  the  shade  of  the  venerable  elm  beneath  which  the 
Father  of  his  Country  formally  unsheathed  his  sword,  the 
jovial  festivities  were  conducted.  The  celebration  was  both 
dignified  and  appropriate,  and  without  any  parade  or  pro- 
cession. The  value  of  the  day  as  an  anniversary  lay  chiefly 
in  the  local  pride  Cambridge  citizens  felt  in  it,  and  accord- 
ingly the  observance  was  made  mainly  a  local  one.  A  tent 
was  erected  on  the  Common  for  the  spectators,  who  num- 


SINCE   THE   WAR.  563 

bered  not  more  than  three  thousand.  An  oration  was 
delivered  by  Rev.  Dr.  A.  P.  Poabod}-,  of  Harvard  College, 
and  an  original  poem  was  read  by  Professor  James  Russell 
Lowell.  The  programme  for  the  afternoon  included  a  public 
dinner  in  jNlcmorial  Hall,  and  a  children's  celebration.  In 
the  evening  an  open-air  concert  was  given  on  the  Common ; 
and  the  whole  scene  was  enlivened  and  made  effective  by 
brilliant  illuminations. 

The  political  campaign  of  the  3^ear  was  opened  at  Wor- 
cester, on  the  22d  of  September,  b}'  the  meeting  of  the 
democratic  state  convention.  After  reiterating  the  declara- 
tions comprehensively  made  by  the  National  conventions  at 
Cincinnati  and  Baltimore,  in  1872,  the  convention  adopted 
resolutions,  opposing  "  any  further  issue  by  the  government 
of  a  currency  inconvertible  with  gold,  —  the  world's  recog- 
nized measure  of  values,  —  "  and  favoring  "  a  speedy  return 
to  specie  pa3'ments  as  essential  to  the  revival  of  the  com- 
merce, business,  and  credit  of  the  country,  and  to  the  welfare 
of  the  laboring  masses."  The  convention  expressed  its  cus- 
tomary horror  of  the  republican  party,  which  it  arraigned 
*'for  extravagant  expenditures  and  profligate  waste  of  the 
people's  money;  for  its  corruption,  for  its  peculations;  and 
for  its  general  mismanagement  of  both  the  state  and  federal 
governments."  "  We  take  an  honest  pride,"  said  the  conven- 
tion, "  in  the  cordial  and  enthusiastic  approval  by  the  people 
of  the  whole  country,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1875,  of  the 
policy  of  reconciliation,  peace  and  fraternity,  advocated  by 
the  democratic  and  liberal  republican  parties  in  1872,  and 
we  M'clcome  with  especial  satisfaction  the  assurance  that 
that  policy  will  be  inaugurated  by  the  administration  to  be 
placed  in  power  in  187G."  William  Gaston  was  nominated 
for  governor   by  the  convention,   and   William    F.  Bartlett 


564  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

for  lieutenant  governor.  General  Bartlett  subsequently  de- 
clined the  nomination ;  and  the  state  central  committee 
substituted  the  name  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  of  Quiney. 

The  republican  state  convention  assembled  at  Worcester 
on  the  29th  of  September,  and  initiated  a  new  departure. 
Vice  President  Wilson  presided  at  the  convention,  and 
delivered  a  speech  that  was  generally  regarded  as  sound  in 
its  conclusions  and  sensible  in  its  suggestions.  Resolutions 
were  adopted,  "  that  the  president  of  the  United  States  is 
entitled  to  the  gratitude  of  the  country  for  the  independence, 
courage,  and  good  sense  with  which,  in  an  urgent  crisis  of 
affairs,  he  has  assumed  the  great  responsibilities  of  his  office, 
and  maintained  the  national  honor  and  credit ;  that  sound 
reason  requires  that  the  tenure  of  the  chief  magistracy  of 
the  United  States  shall  not  exceed  a  second  term  ;  that  the 
national  government  is  sacredly  bound  to  fulfil  its  promises 
by  the  speediest  possible  return  to  specie  payment ;  "  and 
"  that  as  an  irredeemable  currency  is  a  national  evil,  and 
when  it  continues  beyond  the  necessity  of  its  creation,  a 
nation's  reproach  ;  that  the  demoralization  of  values  caused 
by  the  inflation  of  the  national  currency,  while  it  tends 
to  place  the  earnings  of  labor,  which  depend  on  the  steadi- 
ness and  uniformity  in  the  measure  of  values,  in  the  power 
of  speculators  in  gold  and  credit,  also  involves  the  demoral- 
ization of  public  and  private  conduct,  credit,  and  expendi- 
ture, speculation  in  the  place  of  thrift,  ultimate  prostration 
of  trade  and  industry,  risk  of  incurring  crime  and  dishonor, 
and  the  whole  train  of  evils  which  follow  any  departure 
from  the  honest  ritual  that  keeps  its  word,  and  pays  as  it 
goes." 

Four  candidates  for  the  governorship  stood  prominently 
before  the  convention.     These  were  Alexander  H.  Rice,  of 


SIACE  THE  jr.uc.  505 

Boston,  Chailes  Francis  AtUuns,  of  Quincy,  Georgo  B. 
Loiing,  of  Salem,  ami  II.  L.  rierce,  of  Boston.  Oii  Iho 
third  ballot  Mr.  Rice  received  five  hundred  and  scvcnt}-six 
votes  out  of  nine  hundred  and  ninety-eight  that  were  cast, 
and  was  therefore  declared  the  nominee  of  the  convention. 
Horatio  G.  Knight  Mas  renoiuinaled  for  lieutenant  governor. 

On  the  Gth  of  October,  the  prohibitory  party  assembled 
in  convention  in  Boston,  "  to  consider  their  duty  in  the 
present  campaign,  and  the  best  measures  to  be  taken  to 
secure  the  repeal  of  the  existing  law."  After  adopting  a 
platform  conforming  to  the  views  of  the  party,  the  conven- 
tion nominated  John  I.  Baker,  of  Beverly,  for  governor. 
On  the  same  day,  about  thirty  labor  reformers  gathered  at 
Worcester,  and  after  adopting  resolutions  in  favor  of  the 
concentration  of  effort  on  the  reduction  of  the  hours  of 
labor,  advising  the  workingmen  to  keep  aloof  from  all  the 
existing  political  parties,  favoring  the  making  of  greenbacks 
legal  tenders  for  duties  and  all  debts,  and  denouncing  the 
"  national  bank  system  "  as  one  of  the  greatest  swindles  on 
a  patient  people,  nominated  "Wendell  Pliillips  for  governor. 

The  annual  election  took  place  on  the  2d  of  November ; 
and  ]Mr.  Kice  was  chosen  by  a  plurality  of  five  thousand 
three  hundred  and  six  votes.  Horatio  G.  Knight  was  re- 
elected lieutenant  governor,  Henry  B.  Peirce,  of  Abington, 
secretary  of  state,  Julius  L.  Clarke,  of  Newton,  auditor, 
Charles  Endicott,  of  Canton,  treasurer,  and  Charles  R. 
Train,  of  Boston,  attorney  general. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22d  of  November,  Vice  President 
Henry  Wilson  died  suddenly  in  Washington.  Although  he 
had  been  ill  for  several  days,  his  death  was  wholly  nnex- 
pected.  The  life  of  the  deceased  was  full  of  lessons  of  sur- 
passing importance   to  the  student  of  American  history  ;  and 


566  HISTORY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

in  many  respects  he  was  a  representative  American  states- 
man, in  that  his  birth  and  origin  were  humble  and  obscure, 
his  name  unknown  to  the  great  world,  and  in  that  he  rose 
by  means  of  his  own  individual  exertions  through  successive 
steps  to  the  brightest  renown.  Posterity  will  cherish  his 
crowning  virtues  —  his  humanity,  industry,  and  honesty. 
He  was  born  at  Farmington,  New  Hampshire,  on  the  16th 
of  February,  1812. 

The  History  of  Massachusetts  has  now  been  traced  from 
the  foundation  of  the  colony  at  Plymouth  to  the  present 
time  —  a  period  of  nearly  two  hundred  and  seventy-six 
years.  It  is  unnecessary  to  sum  up  the  incidents  that  have 
been  recorded,  or  to  do  more  than  to  add  that  the  great 
lessons  which  they  teach  us  are,  confidence  in  the  integrity 
of  the  people,  confidence  in  their  capacity  for  self-govern- 
ment, and  confidence  in  that  religious  principle  which  is 
always  the  safeguard  of  freedom.  The  founders  of  the 
commonwealth,  believing  that  a  republican  government 
could  be  maintained  only  by  a  moral  and  intelligent  popu- 
lation, desired,  first  of  all,  to  educate  their  children,  to 
inspire  industry,  frugalit}^  and  integrity,  and  to  encourage 
and  develop  the  useful  arts.  Grateful  for  the  prosperity 
so  largely  enjoyed  by  us,  and  while  looking  forward  to  that 
which  is  advancing,  we  can  but  utter  our  solemn  aspiration, 
"  As  God  was  to  our  fathers,  so  may  He  be  to  us  !  " 


INDEX. 


Abbot,  Archbishop,  27. 

Abbott,  J.  G.,r)14. 

Al)en:ikis  Iiulians,  144,  148,  209. 

Abcrcroml)io,  Colonel,  'Mi). 

Abcrcroiubio,  Genenil,  1'15,  210,  221, 

222. 
Acudcniv  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  348. 
Acadia,  "Ol.    117,    VM,   143,   119,   150, 

210-212. 
Acton,  town  of,  304,  305,  309. 
Adams,  Cluirles  Francis,  45G. 
Adams,  John,  218,  248,  2.J0,  200,  270, 

282-289,     292,    313,    334-336,    382. 

390-393,  399,  409,  417. 
Adams,  J,)hn    Quincy,  399,  414-419, 

420,  438.  452,  450. 
Adams,  John  Quincy,    532,  530,  539, 

501. 
Adams,  vSamuol,  230,  240,    249,  202- 

208, 275,  282-291,  293,  3U0,  301, 310- 

313,  351,  380. 
Agricultural  ('ollegc,  532. 
Aix-la-C:iiapelle,  treaty  of,  199. 
Albany,  151,  198,  203,  208,  213,  215, 

340,  377. 
Albemarle  Sound,  G. 
Alcock,  Mr.,  35. 
Alden,  John.  00. 
Alexander,  Inilian  chief,  101. 
Allen,  Charles,  457. 
Allerton,  Isaac.  22-25.  05. 
Almanac.  Kew  England,  73. 
Almshouses,  412. 
American  Party,  481. 
Amherst,  Jeffrey,  219-225. 
Amiierst,  town  of.  532. 
Amory,  .T.  C.  49G. 
Amsterdam,  3. 
Anabaptists,  the,  191. 
Andover,  town  of,  141,  159,  348,  443. 
Andrew.  John  A..  480,  487,  490,  498, 

500,    503,    504,    514,    515,   523,   524, 

52G. 
Andros,    Sir    Edmund,    123-128,   130- 

130. 


Annapolis,  150,  202,  210. 
Anne,  Queen,  135. 
"Anne,"  the  ship,  18,  19. 
Anson,  Admiral,  199. 
Antietam,  battle  of,  503. 
Anti-Federalists,  383,  411. 
Anti-Masonry,  423. 
Antinomianism,  40,  191. 
Appleton,  Major,  1U7,  130. 
Aquidncck,  40. 
Arlington,  town  of,  301. 
Arminianism,  191. 
Armstrong,  S.  T.,  425. 
.Vsliburton,  Lord,  440-441. 
Assawomset  Fond,  102. 
.Vtkinson,  Theodore,  204.  ♦ 

Attleboro'  Gore,  111. 
Augusta,  town  of,  200. 
Austin,  James  T.,  433. 
Ayer,  Samuel,  147. 

Back  Bay  lands,  484. 

Balch,  Jolm.  28. 

Ball's  Bluff,  battle  of,  498. 

Baltimore  Kiot,  491. 

Bancroft,  George,  438. 

Banks  in  Massachusetts,  349,  430,  431, 

434,  435,  405,  490. 
Banks,  Nathaniel    P.,  458,    459,  4G6, 

470,  482-485,  502,  504,  505,  507. 
Barlow,  General,  524. 
Barnes,  James,  490. 
Barnstable,  town  of,  14,  20. 
Barre,  Colonel,  257,  208-271,  279,  290. 
Barrett,  Colonel  James,  303-305. 
Barrett,  Samuel,  347. 
Barthtt,  \V.  F.,  5U5,  517. 
Baum,  Colonel,  340. 
Beach,  E.  U.,  482,  48G. 
Beau  Basin,  210. 
Beauchamp,  John,  13. 
Beaufort,  town  of,  138. 
Biaii  Sojour,  210. 
Bedford,  Duke  of,  227. 
Bedford,  town  of,  309. 

5G7 


568 


INDEX. 


Belcher,  Jonathan,  186-191,  227. 

liellamont,  Earl  of,  133. 

Bellingham,  Kichartl,  40,  48,  93,  94, 

Bennington,  battle  at,  340. 

Berkshire  Jubilee,  443. 

Bernard,  Francis,  22'J,  240-246,  263, 
2G8,  270,  277,  282,  21)2,  296. 

Beverly,  town  of,  159,  309. 

Billerica,  town  of,  141,  159,  306,  309. 

Bishop,  IBridget,  163. 

Block  Island,  49,  50. 

Board  of  Education,  428,  437,  448,  449. 

Board  of  Trade,  229,  237,  238,  251. 

"  Body  of  Liberties,"  the,  57,  58. 

Boscawen,  Admiral,  219,  220. 

Boston,  11,  36,  37,  52,  59,  60,  62,  65, 
68,  86,  87,  89,  93,  104,  107,  120,  122, 
124-126,  177,  180,  186,  191,  198, 
199,  240,  248,  249,  261,  266, 272, 281, 
283,  284,  287,  289,  291,  293,  296, 
300,  312,  324-332,  339,  353,  377, 
389,  401,  407,  409,  412,  423,  425, 
429,  430,  434,  4.52,  459,  463,  474, 
481,    490,    531,    548,    552,    560. 

Boston  Harbor,  287,  295. 

Boston  Massacre,  275. 

Boston  Port  Bill,  290,  291,  326. 

Boutwell,  G.  S.,  458-461,  476,  550. 

Bowdoin,  Jauics,  230,  282,  347-352, 
374,  378. 

Bowler,  George,  505. 

Boylston,  Dr.,  180. 

Braddock,  General,  206,  207. 

Bradford,  Governor  William,  9-14,  20, 
2b. 

Bradford,  Major,  107,  130. 

Bradstreet,  Coh)nel  John,  195,  221. 

Bradstreet,  Simon,  34,  36,  84,  87,  94, 
126,  130. 

Braintree,  town  of,  43,  48,  68. 

Brattle,  William,  216. 

Breeden,  Captain,  94. 

Breed'.  Hill,  315,  318. 

Brenton,  Mr.,  131. 

Brewster,  William,  9. 

Bridge,  Colonel,  314,  318,  323. 

Bridgewatur.  town  of,  114. 

Briggs,  Governor  George  N.,  443-455, 
458. 

Bristol,  England,  6,  20. 

Brookfield,\own  of,  104,  105. 

Brookline,  town  of,  309. 

Brooks,  Govei-nor  John,  317,  378,  408- 
414. 

Brooks,  Preston  S.,  480. 

Brooks,  Bev.  Charles,  426,  427. 

Brooks  tavern,  307. 

Browne,  Jolm,  29,  31. 

Browne,  yamuel,  29,  31. 


Bruce,  M.ajor,  319. 

Brunswick,  Mainef,  181. 

Buchanan,  James,  482. 

Buckman's  tavern,  302. 

Buffinton,  James,  476. 

Bulkley,  Peter,  118. 

Bullock,  Governor  A.  II.,  523-533. 

Bull  Bun,  battle  of,  491. 

Bunker  Hill,  309,  312-325,  330,  417, 

561. 
Burdet,  Mr.,  62. 
Burgess,  Colonel,  175. 
Burgoyne,  General,  299,  314,  321,  340- 

342. 
Burke,  Edmund,  251,  290,  326. 
Burke,  William,  281. 
Burlingame,  Anson,  481. 
Burnet,  William,  185-187,227. 
Burns,  Antiiony,  469. 
Burnside,  General,  502,  503,  506. 
Burrill,  J.  S.,  504,  510. 
Burrouglis,  Edward,  83. 
Burroughs,  George,  165,  166. 
Burton,  Colonel,  224. 
Bute,  Earl  of.  238,  245. 
Butler,    Benjamin    E.,  486,  490,  497, 

498,  502,  503,  528,  545,  548. 
Butler,  Major,  319. 
Butler,  William  O.,  456. 
Buttrick,  Major  John,  305,  306. 
Buzzard's  Bav,  22. 
Byles,  Mather,  185. 

Cabot,  John,  6. 

Cabot,  Sebastian,  6. 

Callioun,  John  C,  419,  478. 

Calhoun,  W.  B.,  438. 

Callender,  Captain,  319. 

Callieres,  M.  de,  138. 

Cambridge,  36,  40,  45,  69,  70,  71-73, 
100,  180,  190,  269,  275,  280,  281, 
283,  287,  293,  299,  301,  308,  309, 
312-315,  318,  321,  324,  340,  347, 
436,  523,  562. 

"  Cambridge  Platform,"  73. 

Camden,  Lord,  229,  257,  259,  265,  271, 
297. 

Canada,  136,  142,  143,  145,  149,  150, 
153,  216,  222,  225,  333.  340. 

Candy,  Indian  girl,  159,  160. 

Canonchet,  Indian  chief,  108. 

Canonicus,  Indian  chief,  12,  51,  52. 

Canseau.  182.  193,  194. 

Cape  Ann,  19-21,  27,  28,  332. 

Cape  Breton,  193,  199. 

Cape  Cod,  7,  8,  11,  12,  14,  65,  96. 

Cape  Sable,  65. 

Carey,  Mrs.,  160. 

Carlisle,  town  of,  305,  309. 


INDEX. 


iG9 


Carrier,  Marthn,  1(37. 

CartwriDjlit,  Colonol  George,  90. 

Carvcr,\T()lm,  S)-ll. 

Casco.  144. 

Cass,  Lewis,  450,  478. 

Castinc.  Baron  de,  181. 

Castine.  town  of.  143,  343,  344 

Castle  Island,  42.  CO,  80. 

Castle  "William,  -203. 

Catecliisni,  Kliot's,  73. 

Channinir,  W.  E.,  428,  432. 

"  Cliarity,"  the  ship.  19,  20. 

Charleniont,  Lord,  251). 

Charles  L,  Kinsr,  27,  54,  G4,  77. 

Charles  II.,  King,  72,  83,  85-90,  94, 
95,  117.  123. 

Charles  Kiver,  28,  35,  317.  324. 

Charlestown,  11,  31,  35-;]7,  (iO,  CO,  72, 
155,  IGO,  275,  2f^7,  299,  300,  301, 
309,  312,  314,    315,  318,    321,    521. 

Charter,  the,  54.  50.  76,  79,  87-01. 

Chase,  Salmon  P.,  478. 

Chatham,  Earl  of,  258,  20G-298.  (See 
Pitt.) 

Chatham,  town  of,  14. 

Chauncy,  Charles,  President  of  Har- 
vard College.  191,  192. 

Chelmsford,  town  of,  305,  309. 

Chelsea.  48,  314,  317. 

Chesterfield.  Lord,  258. 

Chicopee,  town  of,  309. 

Choisonl,  M.  de.,  257,  2.-)0.  / 

Christisson,  Wenluck,  83. 

Church,  Captain  Benjamin.  103-115. 

Church,  Dr.  Benjamin,  284. 

Claflin,  Governor  William,  524-539. 

Clare,  Lord.  251. 

Clarendon,  Lord,  40,  80. 

Clark,  Joim,  179. 

Clark,  Nathaniel,  120. 

Clark,  Kev.  Jonas,  301. 

Clark,  Richard,  286. 

Clarke,  Cai)tain,  319. 

Clay,  Henry,  420,  442,  478. 

Clayton,  J.  M.,  478. 

Clifford,  Governor  Jolin  XL,  464. 

Clinton,  General,  299,  314,  322. 

Coalition  of  1850,  the,  458. 

Cochituate,  Lake,  452. 

Coddington,  William,  34,  35. 

Codman,  C.  II.,  504. 

Coffin,  F.  J.,  504. 

Cole's  Hill,  9. 

Columbus,  Christopher,  6. 

Colver,  Nathaniel,  438. 

Coniins,  L.  B.,  470. 

Committee  of  Safety,  314. 

Conant,  Roger,  27,  28. 


Concord,   town   of,    48,   OS,   101,   141, 

299-309,  500. 
Confederacy,  the  Puritan,  04. 
Confeileracy  of  1774,  74. 
Congregationa lists,  tlie,  81. 
Congress,    Continental,    247,  292-205, 

311-313,    325.    .331,    334.    335,  337- 

340,  342-344,  340,  352,  :!53.  377. 
Congress,  General,  3S1,  382,  38 1,  385, 

391,    394,  400,    404,   407,    412,    414, 

418,    434,    435,   439,  442,    440,  447, 

473,    470,    480,    489. 
Congress,    Provincial,    295,  311,   313, 

319. 
Connecticut,  37,  49,  50,  72.  74,  80,  82, 

89,  93,  90,   123,   124,   l;J7,  140,   155, 

194,  208,  311,  312.  324,  3.30,  349. 
Connecticut  River,  49.  50,  105. 
Constitution,  the  Federal,  376-383. 
"  Constitution,"  the  frigate,  302. 
Constitution,  the  State,  347,  348,  485. 
Convent  of  St.  Ursula,  422. 
Conway,  General,  250,  253,  255-257, 

279.  344. 
Cooke,  Captain,  220. 
Copp's  Hill,  317. 
Corey,  Giles,  108. 
Corey,  Goodwife,  159. 
Corlet,  Master,  72. 
Cornwallis,  Edward,  201. 
,C'otton,  Rev.  .lolin,  37,  .'»9,  43,  45. 
Couch,  (ieneral  I).  N.,  524. 
Council  for  I'lantations,  the,  117,  121. 
Craddoek,  Matthew,  32,  50,  04. 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  40,  79,  80. 
Crown  Point,  199,  207,  208,  213,  214, 

219-222. 
Cudworth,  Major  .Tames,  103,  104. 
Cumberland,  Lord,  215. 
Curtis,  George  T.,  40;5. 
Gushing,  Thomas,  230,  282,  283,  209, 

348. 
Gushing,  William,  377. 
Cushman,  Robert,  14,  19,  21. 

Dalrymple,    Colonel,    206,    274,    275, 

2S2. 
Damarin's  Cove,  13. 
Dana,  R.  II..  Jr.,  523,  561. 
Danvers,  town  of,  309. 
Dartmouth,  Earl  of,  251,  284,  296,325, 

326. 
"  Dartmoutli."  the  ship,  288. 
D'Aulnev,  00. 
D'.AnviUV,  Due  de,  198. 
Davenant,  Charles,  226.  t 

Davenport,  Captain,  89. 
Davis,  Captain  Isaac,  305,  306. 


670 


INDEX. 


Davis,  Governor  John,  421-424,  437, 

438,  441,  405. 
Davis,  Jefferson,  478. 
Davis,  Mr.,  147. 
Dawes,  II.  L..  5C0. 
Dawes,  William,  301. 
Day,  Luke,  3G8,  3C9,  373. 
Daye,  Stephen,  72. 
Deane,  Tlionias,  94. 
Dearborn,  General,  403, 
Declaration  of  Independence,  335-339, 

347. 
Dedham,  town  of,  48,  99,  309. 
Deerfield,  town  of,  lOG,  144,  146. 
De  Kail),  General,  2G0. 
De  Lanccy,  Governor,  208. 
Delaware,  33G. 
Delftliaven,  5. 
Democratic  Party,  411,  414,  418,  423, 

43G,  442,  45G,"458,  4G0,    4G1,   474, 

47G,  477,  479,    482,   48G,   532,  53G, 

544,  547,  .552,    55G,   5G3. 
Descartes,  4G. 

Devens,  Cliarlcs,  Jr.,  496,  524,  5G2. 
Devens,  Riciiard,  300. 
Devonshire,  Duke  of,  218. 
D'Iberville,  143. 
Dickinson,  Mr.,  338. 
Dieskau,  General,  208-210. 
Dinwiddie,  Governor,  202. 
Dorchester  Company,  21,  27,  29. 
Dorchester,  town  of,  20,  29,  38,  40,  49, 

53,  GO,  72,  309,  314,  329. 
Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  472,  478. 
Dover,  town  of,  65,  85. 
Dowdeswell,  290. 
Dress,  modes  of,  3G1,  SG2. 
Duchambon,  195,  197. 
Dudley,  Joseph,  120-128, 133-135,  144, 

175,  227. 
Dudley,  Tiiomas,  34-40,  48. 
Dummer,  William,  184,  187. 
Dunster,  Henry,  70,  191. 
Dustin,  Hannah,  141. 
Dutch,  the,  22,  4G,  49,  Gl,  63,  80,  90. 
Duvivier,  193. 
Duxbury,  town  of,  26. 
Dwight,  Edmund,  429. 
Dyer,  Mary,  83. 

East  India  Company,  286,  287. 
Eaton,  Nathaniel,  70. 
Education  fostered,  69. 
Edwards,  Jonathan,  191. 
Egg  Islands,  152. 
Egremont,  Earl  of,  236-238. 
Election  Sermon,  78. 
Eliot,  John,  97-100. 
Elizabeth,  Queen,  1,  6. 


Emerson,  George  B.,  428. 
Emerson,  Rev.  William,  303,  304. 
Endicott,  John,  28,  29,  31,  41,  48,  50, 

84,  93. 
Episcopacy,  31,  191. 
Eppendortf,  Max,  498. 
Essex,  county  of,  49. 
Eustis,  Governor  William,  414. 
Everett,   Governor  Edward,  425-431, 

436,  449,  465,  478,  521. 

Fairfax,  Sir  Thomas,  52. 

Ealmoutli,  town  of,  183. 

Faneuil  Hall,  2CG,  275,  286,  287,  292, 

407,    418,  419,   422,  429,    432,  438, 

442,    447,    452,   4G0,  470,  471,  481, 

491,    523. 
Federalists,  the,  383,  411,  413,  414. 
Fenwick,  Bishop,  423. 
Fileher,  Mr.,  24. 
Fillmore,  Millard,  456-459,  482. 
Fish,  Hamilton,  478. 
Fletcher,  Governor  of  New  York,  162. 
P'ollansbee,  Albert  S.,  504. 
Follett,  Dexter  H.,  497. 
Forbes,  Joseph,  219,  220. 
Forefather's  Koek,  8. 
Fort  Cumberland,  207. 
Fort  Dnquesnc,  201,  206,  207,  220. 
Fort  Edward,  208,  209,  216,  218. 
Fort  Frederick,  208. 
Fort  Frontenac,  213,  214,  221. 
Fort  Halifax,  20G. 
Fort  Lawrence,  210. 
Fort  Massachusetts,  199. 
Fort  Mystic,  52. 
Fort  Narragansett,  107. 
Fort  Necessity,  203. 
Fort  Niagara,  207,  213,  214,  222. 
Fort  Pemaquid,  G5,  134,  143,  148 
Fort  Piscataqua,  li;4. 
Fort  Sumter,  488. 
Fort  Toronto,  214. 
Fort  Western,  20G. 
Fort  William    Henry,    134,    213,   216, 

217. 
"  Fortune,"  the  ship,  12. 
Fox,  Charles  James,  215,  345. 
Fox,  George,  82,  83. 
Franiingliam,  town  of,  309. 
France,  8,  135,  13G,   143. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  192,  203-206,  229, 

230,  254,  282,  335,  338,  345,  377. 
Free   Soil   Party,  456-461,  464,   474, 

476. 
Fremont,  J.  C,  482. 
French,  the,  Gl,  63-66,  81,  135,   137, 

141-150. 
Frontenac,  Count,  137-140. 


INDEX. 


571 


Frycbursr,  town  of,  183. 

Frye,  Colonel,  314. 

Fugitive    Slave    Law,   459,  4G0,    4G0, 

474,  48"). 
Fuller,  Rose,  L'SO. 

Gabarus  Bay,  220. 

GadMlen,  Ciiri.stoplicr,  240. 

Ga!,'e,  Tlioiuas.  2:A  2G(;,  291-300,  301, 
308,  3i;:-;!I8,  ;i24,  3l'5. 

Gainsborouiih,  ciiiireii  at,  3. 

Gardner,  Colonel,  318,  323. 

Gardner,  Governor  Henry  J.,  470-483. 

Garrison,  Williaiii  Lloyd,  434. 

Gasi)ereaux,  211. 

Gaston,  William,  r,r,0-5(i3. 

Gates,  General,  340,  343. 

Gcdney,  Bartliolomew,  102. 

General  Court  of  Massacliusotts,  45, 
02,  04,  73,  74,  78,  80,  85-90,  118, 
123,  128-130,  148,  151,  170,  199, 
200,  239,  248,  249,  258,  202,  209, 
280-285,  290-295,  332,  3:53,  339, 
341,  344,  247,  30.")-370,  373,  397, 
401,  413,  404,  400,  409,  479,  482, 
483,  519,  528,  533,  530,  549,  oho, 
659. 

Genet,  Citizen,  387,  388. 

Geon,'o  I.jKinj^  of  England,  135,  175, 
185. 

George  11.,  Kins;  of  England,  197. 

Georiie  III.,  King  of  England,  231, 
232,  230,  399. 

Georgetown,  181. 

Georgia,  213,  330,  338. 

Germain,  Lord  George,  326. 

Gerrisli,  Samuel,  314. 

Gerrv,  Governor  Elbridge,  300,  376, 
377.  391,  390-399. 

Gerrymandering,  ;399. 

Gill,  Lieutenant  Governor  Moses,  393. 

Gilmore,  P.  S.,  538,  548. 

Glass  Works,  08. 

Gloucester,  town  of,  48. 

Glover,  Josejili,  72. 

Goddard,  Captain,  152. 

Goffe,  Colonel,  85,  88.  100. 

Gorges,  Kol)ort,  18,  19,  59,  118,  119. 

Gorges,  Ferdin.mdo,  18. 

Gorges,  Lord  Edward,  01. 

Good,  Sarah,  157,  103. 

Gore,  Clirisloplier,  395. 

Gorton,  Samuel,  40-48,  79. 

Gortonists,  the,  191. 

Grafton,  Duke  of,  250,  257,  205,  278, 
320. 

Grannuar  schools,  72. 

Grand  Council,  the,  204. 

Grand  Pro,  211,  212. 


Grant,  Gcncr.il  U.  S.,  503,  522,  546. 

Graves,  Samuel,  313. 

Graves,  'riiomas.  29. 

Gould,  J.  1'.,  517. 

Gray,  Sannn  I,  274. 

Great  Awakening,  the,  191. 

Green,  Samuel,  73. 

Greene,  General  Nathanael,  314,  342. 

Greene,  W.  H.,  490. 

(Jreenleaf,  IL  A.,  505. 

Grenville.  George,  237-345,  250,  253, 

250,  200,  345. 
Gridley,  Jeremiah,  231.  233. 
Gridiey,  Kichard,  314-323. 
Grimke,  Angelina  E.,  432. 
Griswold,  C.  E..  517. 
Groton,  town  of.  33.  52,  111,  141,  300. 
Guilford,  Earl  of,  201. 
"  Guinea,"  the  ship,  89. 

Iladlev.  town  of.  105-107,  112 

Hale,'Kev.  Mr.,  172. 

Hale,  Mrs..  170. 

Halifax,  201,  202,  211,  217,  220. 

Halifax,  Earl  of,  202,  237. 

Hall,  11.  B.,  470. 

Hallowell,  the  comptroller,  203,  313. 

Handin,  Hannibal,  480. 

Hampton  Falls,  189. 

Hancock,   John,  203,    204,  280,    293- 

301,  313,  34S,  351.  374.  377,  386. 
Ilairison.  William  llem-v,  438. 
Hartford,  37,  52.  oW,  04."3.".2. 
Hartford  Convention,  405-407. 
Hartshon-.e,  Thomas,  147. 
Harvard  College,  70,  71,  132,  352,  435, 

449,  523. 
Harvard,  licv.  Jolin,  09,  71. 
Haskin*.  Mrs.,  1(;0. 
Hatfield,  town  of,  100,  112. 
Hathorn.  Justice,  101. 
Hathorne,  Major,  94,  130. 
Haverhill,  town  of.  48,  141,  142,  147. 
Hawley,  Joseph.  2S2. 
Havncs,  Israel,  401. 
Haynes.  John,  37,  40.  49,  04. 
Havward,  .lames.  307. 
Heath,  General.  327,  3-13,  380,  SSL 
"  Hector,'"  the  ship.  42. 
Henchman,  Ca(>tain  Daniel,  103. 
Henry,  Patrick.  293. 
Higginson,  Francis,  30.  31,  35. 
Higu'inson.  T.  W..  470. 
Hill.  General,  151. 
HilMiorough,   Earl  of,  238,  202,  263, 

277.  2S1-2.S4. 
Hinckley.  Thomas,  127. 
Hingham.  town  of,  48,  426. 
Uinks,  E.  W.,  496. 


572 


INDEX. 


Hoar,  Samuel.  438. 

Hobby,  Sir  Charles,  U9. 

Hobomok,  12-15. 

Hockinsi.  GG. 

Holbrook,  C.  L.,  504. 

Holland,  5,  81. 

Holmes,  Abiei,  quoied,  116. 

Holmes,  O.  W.,  444.  524. 

Holyoko,  town  of.  112. 

Hooker,  General  Joseph,  506-508. 

Hooker,  Kichard,  226. 

Hooker,  Tliomas,  37,  49,  64,  76 

Hooper,  Samuel,  623. 

Hoosac  Tunnel,    469,    528,    531,  635, 

541,  555,  557. 
Hopkins.  Stephen,  7. 
Hopkins,  Stephen,  Governor  of  Rhode 

Island,  204. 
Hosmer,  Abner,  306. 
Hosmer,  Joseph,  305. 
House  of  Commons,  3,  17,  78,  85,  237- 

242,  249-259,  268-271,  281. 
House  of  Industry,  386,  413. 
House   of  Lords,  249,  256,  267,  270, 

281,  290,  296. 
House  of  Eepresentatives  established, 

56. 
Howe,  General,  299,  314-330. 
Howe,  Elizabeth,  163. 
Howe,  Lord,  219.  221. 
Howe,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  524. 
Howe,  S.  G.,  470,  471. 
Hubbard,  Rev.  William,  quoted,  16,  70. 
Hubbard,  Thomas,  216. 
Hudson's  Buy,  6,  143. 
Hudson  River,  61,  90. 
Hull,  town  of,  49. 
Humphrey,  Jolm,  28,  34,  59. 
Hutchinson,  Captain  Edward,  104,  105, 

130. 
Hutchinson,  Mrs.  Anne,  42-46. 
Hutchinson,    Thomas,  204,  216,  230- 

247,    262,    263,    268-274,    280-291, 

296. 
Hutchinson,  William,  42. 

Indemnity  Act,  the,  370. 

Independents,  the,  1,  3. 

Indian  College,  100. 

Ireland,  8. 

Iron  Founderies,  68. 

Iroquois  Indians,  140,  151,  209. 

Ipswich,  town  of,  57,  65. 

Jackson,  Andrew,  418-424,  434. 
Jacobs,  Mar.^aret,  168. 
Jamaica  riain,  314. 
James  I.,  King  of  England,  1,  2,  6,  8, 
10,  27,  oo. 


.James  IT..  King  of  England,  123,  143. 

James  River,  6. 

Jamestown,  7. 

Jay,  John,  387,  390. 

Jefferson,  Tliomas,  334-338,  393,  399, 

418,  440. 
Jenkinson,  Charles,  238,  239. 
Jesuits,  the,  65,  136. 
•Johnson,  Andrew,  518-532. 
Johnson,  Arabella,  36. 
Johnson,  Isaac,  34-36. 
.Tolinson,  Sir  William,  207-216,  222. 
Johnston,  John,  147. 
Jones.  E.  F.,  497. 
Jones,  E.  J.,  505,  513. 
Jones,  Margaret,  155. 

Kansas-Nebraska  Bill,  the,  472-479. 
Kennebec  River,  21,  23,  66,  143,  148, 

206,  344. 
Keppol,  Commodore,  200. 
Kimball,  J.  W.,  505. 
King  Philip's  war,  06-117,  140. 
King  William's  war,  143. 
Kittery,  65. 

Knowles,  Commodore,  199. 
Knowlton,  Captain,  314. 
Know-Nothingism,  476. 
Knox,  General,  273. 
Knox,  John,  2. 
Kossuth,  Louis,  463. 
Kulm,  Jacob,  377. 
Kurtz,  John,  496. 

Labrador,  6,  143. 
La  Canardiere,  139. 
La  Hevc,  fort  at,  66. 
La  .Tonquiere,   198. 
La  Plaque,  137. 
La  Tour,  65. 
Ladd,  L.  C,  491. 
Lafayette.  General,  342,  417. 
Lake  Champlain.  137,  209. 
Lake  George,  208,  209,  217,  221. 
Lake  Ontario,  222. 
Laloutre,  Abbe,  210,211. 
Lancaster,  town  of,  109,  141,  146. 
Langdon,  President,  315. 
Lathrop,  Mr..  4U. 
Latimer,  George.  438,  439. 
Laud,  Archbishop,  27,  01,  62,  81. 
Laurie,  Captain,  304. 
L.-iwrence,  Abbott,  429,  431. 
Lawrence,  Amos  A.,  486. 
Laws  of  the  colony.  73. 
Learned,  Colonel,  331. 
Lechmere's  Point,  301,  327,  329. 
Lee,  F.  L.,  504. 
Lee,  General  Charles,  313. 


INDEX. 


573 


Lcc,  Gcnor.il  Robert  E.,  603 

Lcc,  II.  C,  41)7,  530. 

Lcc,  Henry,  l-'Oi. 

Lee,  Mr.,  300. 

Lcc,  Kic-liivril  Henry,  333,  335,  33G. 

Lcc,  W.  H.,  4'X;. 

Lcicostorsliirc,  30. 

Lconiinl,  S.  H..  4!)5. 

Leverctt,  John,  80,  85,  118. 

Lcvcrott,  Thomas,  37. 

Lexington,  town  of,  300-310,  429,  SCO. 

Lcyden.  3. 

•'Liberty,"  the  sloop,  2G3. 

Liberty  Tree,  tlie,  245,  250,  257,  2G4, 

28G.' 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  48G,  488,  489,  r)18, 

622. 
Lincoln,  General  Benjamin,  332,  3G8- 

373. 
Lincoln,  Goyernor  Lcyi,  395,  414-421. 
Lincolnsiiirc.  31,  34,  42. 
Lincoln,  town  of,  304,  305,  309. 
Liquor  laws,  477,  530-559. 
"  Little  James,"  the  ship,  18. 
Littleton,  town  of,  305,  309. 
Livingston,  11.  R.,335. 
Lloyd,  James,  399. 
London  Compiny,  the,  6. 
Long  Island,  333. 
Longeuil  M.  de,  140,  217. 
Lords  of  Trade,  the,  238. 
Loring,  E.  G.,  469. 
Loring.  G.  13.,  514,  523,  5G5. 
Loudoun,  i;arl  of,  215-219. 
Louis  XIV.,  Kinirof  France,  143. 
Louisburg,  193,  195-202,  208-211,  217- 

220. 
Lovejoy,  Rev.  Eljiah,  432,  433. 
Lovcll,  Solomon,  343. 
Lovewell.  Captain  John,  183. 
Lowell,  415,  404,  491,  522. 
Ludlow,  Roger,  39. 
Ludlow,  town  of,  369. 
Lunatic  Hospital,  416. 
Lyford,  Joim,  19-21. 
Lyman,  General,  203,  216. 
Lynn,  town  of,  36,  38,  48,  68,  309. 
"Lyon,"  the  ship,  36. 

Machias,  65. 

Madeira  Islands,  68. 

Madison,  James,  395-404. 

Maine,    117.   119,    141-143,    340,    343, 

351,  404,  408,  440,  441. 
Maisonforte,  196. 
Manhattan,  22,  80. 
Mann,  Horace.  428,  449,  457. 
Manning,  C.  H.,  498. 
Manouiet,  23. 


Manufactures,  68. 

Marl.K'liead,  332,  490. 

Marlliorough,  town  of,  109,  151. 

Marshall,  John,  391. 

Marsh.  L.  B.,  .■)05. 

Marsbfield,  town  of.  296,  442. 

Martin,  Captain,  490. 

Martin,  Susanna,  163. 

Maryland,  6,  125,  3;!6. 

Mascarene,  General,  183. 

Mason.  Georgi-,  377. 

Mason,  John,  52,  53,  59-62,  118-120. 

Massachusetts  Bay,  96. 

Massachusetts  Colony,  26-53,  112,  117, 

121. 
Massachusetts   Company,  29,  32,  38, 

52,  62. 
Massachusetts  Indians,  11,  15,  102. 
Massachusetts  Mint,  350. 
Massasoit,  10-15.  101. 
Mather,  Cotton,  130,  134,  157-163, 166, 

170,  173,  180. 
Mather,  Increase,  122-130. 
Mather,  Richard,  40. 
Mattaneag,  49. 
Mauduit,^Mr.,  240-261. 
May,  Abby,  625. 
"  Maytiower,"  the  ship,  5-11. 
Mayhew.  Jonathan,  97.  244,  246. 
McCh'llan,  George  B.,  498-506. 
Meade.  General,  508.  524. 
Medfield,  town  of,  111. 
Medford,  town  of,  301,  309,  314. 
Mercer,  Colonel,  208. 
Merchant  Adventurers,  the,  19-23. 
Merriam,  Mr.,  307. 
Merrimack  River.  16,  28,  144,  147. 
Merry  Mount,  24. 
Messer,  C.  P.,  505. 
Mexico,  6.  446,  447. 
Miantonomo,  47,  52. 
Middleborough.  town  of,  102. 
Middlesex  Canal,  386. 
Miles,  Mr.,  103. 
Militia,  487,  528. 
Mill  Riyer  disaster,  555. 
Mills  erected,  68. 
Milton,  town  of,  112,  309. 
Minas,  202. 
Minot,  George,  304. 
Minute  Mi-n,  296. 
Mishawum,  31. 
Missouri.  411,  412. 
Missouri  Compromise,  412,  472,  479. 
Mitehell,  General,  319. 
Mohawks,  the,  144. 
Mohegans,  the,  52,  96,  104,  107. 
Monamovcke.  14. 
Montkton,  Coluucl,  210,  223. 


574 


INDEX. 


Monhegan,  13-17. 

Monro,  Colonel,  218. 

Monroe,  James,  404,  411. 

Montcalm,  General,  217-225. 

Montmorenci  River,  223. 

Montreal,  137,  146,  150,  217,  225. 

Morrice,  Secretary,  86. 

Morris,  Robert,  349. 

Morse,  A.,  496. 

Morton,  Governor  Marcus,  436-442. 

Morton,  leliabed,  428. 

Moulton's  Point,  318. 

Mount  Benedict,  324,  422. 

Munhiggon,  20. 

Murray,  General,  223. 

Mutiny  Act,  the,  243. 

Mystic  River,  35,  324. 

Nantasket,  20,  36,  65,  137,  142,   199, 

266,  333. 
Nantucket,  97. 

Narragansett  Bay,  10,  22,  46,  51. 
Narrairansctt   Indians,  12,   50-52,  81, 

96,  104-109. 
Natick,  town  of,  99. 
National  Bank,  349. 
National  Republican  party,  420,  421. 
Naumkeag,  27-30,  120. 
Nauset,  14. 
Needham,  S.  II.,  491. 
Needliam,  town  of,  309. 
Neponset,  98. 
Nesbit,  Captain,  319. 
New  England  Council,  17,  25,  61. 
*'  New  England  First  Fruits,"  70. 
"  New  England  Primer,"  361. 
"  New  Englisii  Canaan,"  25. 
New  France,  219. 
New  Hampsliire,  45,  64,  117,  119,  149, 

194,  197,  213,  311,  312,  324,  336. 
New  Haven,  74. 
New  Jersey,  336. 
New  Netherland,  22,  90. 
New  Orleans,  407. 
NeAv   York,    128,   137,    144,  149,  162, 

217,  241,  249,    274,    333,    336-342, 

352. 
Newbury,  town  of,  48,  141. 
Newcastle,  Duke  of,  216,  244. 
Newfoundland,  143. 
Newport,  312. 
Newton,  town  of,  98,  309. 
Newtown,  36,  38,  44,  49,  56,  64,  69. 
Niantick,  81. 
Nichols,  Richard,  90. 
Nicholson,  Francis,  149,  150. 
Nims,  O.  F.,  497. 
Nipmucks,  the,  96,  104,  100. 
Norfolk,  49. 


Normal  schools,  426-429,  437,  448. 

Norridgewock,  181,  182. 

North,  Lord,  261,  267,  271,  278-285, 

290-298,  326,  345. 
North  Carolina,  336. 
Northampton,  town  of,  112,  366,  531. 
Northfield,  town  of,  106. 
Norton,  Captain,  49,  84,  87. 
Nova  Scotia,  207,  210,  340. 
Noyes,  Mr.,  163,  165. 
Nugent,  Mr.,  251,  252. 
Nurse,  Rebecca,  163. 

Oceanus,  7. 

Ohio  River,  218. 

Old  South  Church,  275,  287,  288,  325. 

Oldham,  John,  19-25,  49. 

Oliver,    Andrew,   231,   244-246,   250, 

275. 
Ontario,  Lake,  206,  208. 
Orne,  Mr.,  300. 

Osborn,  Sarah,  157.  , 

Oswald,  Richard,  345. 
Oswego,  207-209,  215. 
Otis,  Harrison  Gray,  407,  422. 
Otis,  James,  230-236,  243,   264,  268, 

282-284. 
Otis,  John,  216. 
Otis,  Mrs.  H.  G.,  525. 
Otis,  Samuel  A.,  373. 

Paine,  H.  W.,  514,  515,  519. 

Palfreys,  Peter,  28. 

Pamlico  Sound,  6. 

Paper  money,  366,  435. 

Parker,  Captain  John,  302,  308. 

Parker,  Isaac,  409. 

Parker,  Theodore,  469,  471. 

Parkhurst,  Noah,  306. 

Parkman,  George,  453. 

Parliament  of  Great  Britain,  3,  16,  27, 

33,   61,  77,  85,   129,   186,  203,  206- 

219,     227,    232-247,    250-262,    265- 

296,  345. 
Paris,  Mr.,  156-172. 
Parsons,  Captain,  304. 
Parsons,  Theophilus,  373,  375,  523. 
Patterson,  Colonel,  318.  ^ 

Patuxet,  10,  107. 
Pawtucket  River,  111. 
Pa.xton,  Captain,  313. 
Peace  Jubilee,  538,  548. 
Peirce,  E.  W.,  497. 
Peirson,  G.  H.,  504. 
Pclham,  town  of,  369. 
Pemaquid  River,  148. 
Pennsylvania,  336. 
Penobscot  River,  (jZ,  81,  144,  182,  202, 

343. 


INDEX. 


675 


Pepperell,  town  of,  300. 

Pepporell,  William,  r.);5-i;n>. 

Pcquot!!,  tiio,  ■l'.»-:)3,  01,  '.tlJ. 

Percy,  Lord  llui,'h,  301,  308,  309,  319. 

Perkins,  Thomas  II.,  407. 

Porsoniil  Liberty  Act,  the,  485. 

Pesaquid,  202. 

Peters,  Ilugli,  40,  78. 

Petersham,  town  of,  369. 

Phelps,  A.  A.,  434. 

Philadelphia,  206,  293,  312,  324,  335, 

349. 
Philip,  Kins?,  101-116. 
Phillips,  283. 
Phillips,  Captain,  490. 
Phillips,  John,  413. 
Phillips,  Mr.,  35,  36. 
Piiillips,  Samuel,  Jr.,  373. 
Pliillips,  Wendell,  432,  438,  470,  493, 

542. 
Phips,  Sir  William,  128-142,  162. 
Phips,  Spencer,  216. 
Pickerini,',  Colonel,  309,  349. 
Pierce,  Captain,  111. 
Pierce,  Franklin,  465,  478. 
Pierce,  Mr.  73. 
Pi^ot,  General,  319-342. 
Pilgrims,  the,  1-23,  31,  66,  80,  96. 
Pinckney,  C.  C,  391. 
Piscataqua,  25,  65. 
Pitcairn,  Major,  302,  319. 
Pitkin.  William,  204. 
Pitt,  William,  216-225,  227-244,  251, 

253-258,  270.     (See  Chatham,  Earl 

of.) 
Pittsburg,  221. 
Pittsfield,  town  of,  444. 
Plunkett,  T.  F.,  524,  525. 
Plymouth    Colony,    1-23,    49,    60-72, 

101,  126. 
Pocasset,  103,  114. 
Point  Levi,  138,  222. 
Pole,  Captain,  304. 
Polk,  James  K.,  444. 
Poraeroy,  Seth,  195. 
Poraeroy,  S.  C,  523. 
Porter,  Joseph,  497. 
Portland,  351. 
Port  Royal,  136,  149. 
PortsnidUth,  (}i'),  3S3. 
Powder-house,  293. 
Pownall,  Tliomas,  216,  227,  279,  290. 
Praying  Indians,  99.  146. 
Pratt.  Charles,  229. 
Prentice,  Captain,  103. 
Prescott,  Colonel  William,  314-322. 
Prescott,  Samuel,  303. 
Preston,  Captain,  273,  276. 
Prideaux,  General,  221. 


Printing  press  erected,  72. 

Proctor,  .John,  166. 

Pr()si)ect  Hill,  30.S,  323,  341. 

Providence,  47,  51,  111. 

Provost.  Major,  138. 

I'uritans,  the,  1,  27,  40,  66,  77,  80. 

Putnam,  Israel,  209,  312-323,  327,  331. 

Pynchon,  Mr.,  35,  36. 

Qu.aboag,  104,  109. 

Quakers,  the,  81-84,  191. 

Quebec,    136-140,    150-152,   198,  208, 

211-214,    221. 
Quincy,  Edmund,  422,  434. 
Quincy.   Josiah,   400,    413,   417,    422, 

42'J. 
Quincy,    Josiah,    Jr.,    261,    267,    276, 

288,    296. 
Quincy,  town  of,  23. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  6. 

Ramsey,  M.  de,  138,  224. 

Rand,  A.  A.,  517. 

Randolph,  Edmund,  377. 

]{andolph,  Edward,  1 18-128. 

Randolph,  Peyton,  293. 

Rantoul,  Robert,  474,  476. 

Rasieros,  M.  de.  22. 

Rasles,  Sebastian,  180-183. 

Rawdon,  Lord,  319. 

Raynham,  town  of,  68. 

Razilla,  'o(i. 

Reading,  town  of.  306,  309. 

Reed,  James,  314,  317. 

Reform  School,  477. 

Rehoboth,  town  of,  104. 

Republican  party,  the.  418,  474,  482, 

486,  532,  536.  544,  552.  556.  564. 
Revenue  Bill,  the,  260,  262,  265. 
Revere,  Paul,  300,  301. 
Revision  of  statutes,  436. 
Revolution,  the  war,  332-346. 
Rhode  Island,  47,  51,  82.  93.  96,  103, 

123,    162,    190,   194,  249,  311,    324, 

336,    341,   484. 
Rice,  Alexander  H.,  523,  565. 
Richards.  John,  121,  162. 
Richelieu,  Cardinal,  65. 
Richmond,  Duke  of,  281. 
Richmond.  S.  P.,  504. 
Riot  in  Baltimore,  491. 
River  Indians,  109. 
Roanoke  Island,  6. 
Robinson,  James  T.,  466. 
Robinson,  John,  4.  21. 
Robinson,  William,  S3. 
Roliinson  William  S..  466. 
Rockingham,    Marquis    of,    244,    260, 

257,  281,  297,  345. 


576 


INDEX. 


Rolfe,  Benjamin,  U7,  148. 

"  lioniney,"  the  ship,  2G3. 

Rosewell,  Henry,  28,  29. 

Rotch,  288. 

Rouville,  Hertcl  de,  U4-147. 

Rowlandson,  Mrs.,  109-110. 

Rowley,  town  of,  48. 

Roxbury,  3G,  38,  45,  72.  97,  275,  299, 

309,  314,  324,  329,  331,  531.      • 
Ruggles,  Timothy,  231,  317. 
Russell,  H.  S.,  517. 
Rutledge,  Edward,  249,  334-33G. 
Ryswick,  peace  of,  143. 

Salem,  27,  31,  35,  41,  51,  59,  147,  156- 

165,  171,  186,  295,  309,  332. 
Salisburj',  town  of,  48. 
Saltonstall,-  Nathaniel,  1G2. 
Saltonstall,  Richard,  59,  130. 
Saltonstall,  Richard,  343. 
Saltonstall,  Sir  Richard,  34,  36- 
Samoset,  9,  10. 
Sandwich,  town  of,  23,  26. 
Saratoga,  341. 
Sargent,  Paul  Dudley,  312. 
Sargent,  Peter,  163. 
Sassacus,  53. 
Sassamon,  102. 

Saunders,  Sir  Charles,  222,  223. 
Say,  Lord,  89, 
Saybrook,  town  of,  50. 
Scituate,  26,  111. 
Schouler,  William,  527. 
Schuyler,  General,  144,  148. 
Scotland,  8. 
Scott,  Colonel,  210. 
Scottow,  Joshua,  93. 
Scrooby,  cliurch  at,  3, 
Sedgwick,  Robert,  80. 
Seekonk  Plain,  104,  111. 
Separatists,  the,  1. 
Sewall,  Councillor,  313. 
Sewall,  Samuel,  163,  172,  184. 
Seward,  William  H.,  478,  479. 
Shanly,  Walter,  535,  538. 
Shaw,  Isaac,  423,  438. 
Shaw,  Robert  G.,  507. 
Shawmut,  11,  36. 
Shawomet,  47,  48. 
Sharpe,  Samuel,  29. 
Shattuck,  Samuel,  83,  84. 
Shays,  Daniel,  366-375. 
Sliays's  Rebellion.  364-375. 
Sheepscot  River,  148. 
Siicffleld,  Lord,  19. 
Sbelburne,  Lord,  238.  257,  297,  345. 
Shepard,  General,  366-369. 
Shepard,  Thomas,  40. 
Sherman,  Roger,  335. 


Ship-yards,  68. 

Shirley,    William,     191-213,    214-216, 

227. 
Short,  Captain,  319. 
Shuldham,  Admiral,  329. 
Shute,  Samuel,  175-187,  227. 
Rims,  Thomas,  463. 
Six  Nations,  tribe  of,  203. 
Skelton,  Samuel,  31. 
Slavery,  58,  350,  379,  411,  431,  439, 

444,  448,  456,  464.  472,  481. 
Small-pox  in  Boston,  179,  328. 
Smith,  Colonel,  302-309. 
Smith,  William,  204. 
Socinianism,  191. 
"  Somerset,"  the  ship,  317. 
Southampton,  5,  7. 
South  Carolina,  229,  336,  419,  420. 
Southcote,  Thomas,  28,  29. 
"  Sparrow,"  the  sliip,  13. 
Specie  Circular,  the,  434. 
"  Speedwell,"  the  ship,  5,  7. 
Spencer,  General,  314. 
Spendlove,  General,  319. 
Sprague,  A.  B.  R.,  505. 
Sprague,  Ralph,  30. 
Sprague,  Richard,  30. 
Sprague,  William.  30. 
Springfield,  49,  366-369,  429. 
Squantum,  11. 
St.  Charles  River,  139,  223. 
St.  Clair,  General,  198. 
St.  Croix  River,  65,  125. 
St.  George  River,  143. 
St.  Helene,  140. 
St.  John's  River,  81. 
St.  Lawrence  River,  138,  151,  218. 
"  St.  Patrick,"  the  ship,  42. 
Stamp  Act,  the,  239-265. 
Standish,  Miles,  9,  26. 
Stark,  General,  312,  317,  340. 
State  Prison,  336,  416,  551. 
Stearns,  G.  M.,  532. 
Stevenson,  Marmaduke,  83. 
Stevenson,  T.  G.,  497. 
Stone,  Samuel,  37,  49. 
Story,  Joseph,  32,  247,  485. 
Stow,  town  of,  309. 
Stowe,  E.  F.,  505. 
Stoughton,  Israel,  53. 
Stoughton,  William,  118-132,  162, 172. 
Stratford,  Earl  of,  42. 
Strawberry  Bank,  65. 
Strong,  Caleb,  378-408. 
Subercasc,  149. 

Sudbury,  town  of,  48,  112,  300,  309. 
SuflFolk,  county  of,  49. 
Suiiivan,  James,  393-395. 
Sullivan,  William,  342,  407. 


INDEX. 


m 


Sumner,    Charles,   447-467,    472-482, 

647,  553. 
Sumner,  Increase.  300,  474. 
Sunday  schools,  38G. 
Supremo  Judicial  Court,  350. 
Suttlc,  Charles  F.,  4()9. 
Swan,  Caleb,  482. 
"  Swan,"  the  ship,  14. 
Swanzey,  town  of,  102,  103. 
Sweetzer,  Theodore  H.,  529. 

Taconnet  Falls,  20G. 

Tailer,  Colonel,  149. 

Talbot,  Thomas,  554. 

Tasker,  Benjamin,  204. 

Taunton,  2G,  104. 

Taylor,  Cliarlcs  A.,  491. 

Taylor,  Father,  423. 

Taylor,  General  Zachary,  447,  45G. 

Tea  Party,  the  Boston,  289. 

Temple,  Lord,  244,  281. 

Temple,  Thomas,  89. 

Texas.  444,  44G. 

Thacher,  Oxenbridijo,  230,  242,  249. 

Thames  River,  49,  9G. 

Thanksgiving,  11,  81. 

Thatclier,  Anthony,  40. 

Theatre,  first  in  Boston,  361. 

Thomas,  General,  314,  329. 

Thompson,  General,  379. 

Three  Rivers,  137. 

Ticonderoga,  208,  213,  219,  221. 

Tisquantum,  13. 

Titcomb,  General,  209. 

Tituba,  157. 

Townshend,  Charles,  237,  257-2G1. 

Trade,  Acts  of,  177. 

Treat.  Major,  106,  107. 

Trepezee,  M.  de,  221. 

Trov   and   Greenfield    Railroad,    469, 

528,  535. 
Tucker,  Joseph,  536. 
Turner,  Captiin,  112,  113. 
Tyler,  President,  441,  442. 

Uncas,  52,  104. 
Underbill,  Captain,  53. 
Upton,  Edward.  497. 
Usher,  John,  119. 
Utrecht,  Peace  of,  188,  211. 

Van  Buren,  Martin,  420,  424,  45C. 
Vane,  Sir  Ilenrv,  40-55,  79. 
Vaudreuil.  M.  do,  148,  209,  217,  225. 
Vauglm,  William,  195. 
Vergcnnes,  Count,  345. 
Vernon,  Admiral,  189. 
Vetch,  Colonel,  150. 
Virginia  Company,  4,  61. 


Wachusett,  Mount,  9C. 

Wadsworth,  Captain,  112. 

Wainwright,  Sanmel,  147. 

Walker,  II.,  504. 

Walker,  Sir  Ilovenden,  150-152. 

Walpole,  Sir  Robert,  188-192,  239. 

Walton,  Colonel,  149. 

Wampanoags,  10,  96,  101. 

Ward,    General    Artemas,    311,    321, 

331. 
Ward,  Nathaniel,  57. 
Wardrop,  Colmiel,  498. 
Warren,  Comin^idort',  193-199. 
Warren,  Joseph,  2G4,  283,    293,  299, 

318,  323. 
Warwick,  Earl  of,  79. 
Warwick,  town  of.  47,  107. 
Wasliburn,  Emorv,  469,  477. 
Washburn,  W.  b',  545,  548,  554. 
Washington,    George,    202,    220,  225, 

313,   324,  331,  341,    370,   382,  389, 

407. 
Watertown.  36,  72,  309,  311,  340. 
Watson,  300. 
Webb,  General,  216,  224. 
Webster,    Daniel,  413-419,  423,   KWo, 

440,  461,  478. 
Webster,  John  W.,  453. 
Weitzell,  General,  521. 
Welde,  Joseph,  45. 
Welleslcy,  Marquis  of,  72. 
Wells,  Samuel,  216. 
Wenham,  town  of,  49. 
Wentworth,  Thomas,  42. 
Wessagussett,  14,  19. 
West,  Francis,  16. 
Westbrooke,  Thomas.  181,  182. 
Western  Railroad,  429,  431. 
Westfield,  town  of,  448. 
Westford,  town  of.  305,  309. 
West  Indies.  68.  128,  142. 
Westminster  Assembly,  77. 
Weston,  Master,  13-16. 
Wetherby's  tavern,  300. 
Weymouth,  town  of,  14,  111. 
Whalley,  Major,  86,  139. 
Wheeler,  373. 
Wheeler,  Captain.  104. 
Wheeler,  Captain  Timothy,  304. 
Wheeler,  Sir  Francis,  142. 
Wheelwright,  John,  43,  45. 
Whetcoml),  Simon,  28. 
Whigs,    421-425,  437-446,    456,    469, 

477,  479,  482. 
While,  Mr.,  20,  28. 
Whitefield.  George,  192,  239. 
Whiting,  Colonel,  149. 
Whitney,  A.  O..  491. 
Whiton,  J.  C,  617. 


578 


INDEX. 


Wilds,  Sarah,  163. 
Wilkes,  Francis,  186. 
'iVi  'ard,  Councillor,  316. 
VViiiard,  John,  166. 

iiard,  Joseph,  348. 
ard,  Major,  105. 
A.  1  Hams,  Abigail,  161. 
■\V"iiiiaras,  Ephraini,  209. 
■^V^l!iams,  General,  Z\%. 
"'Vi'iams,  Jonathan,  287. 
vV    ;iams,  Mr.,  144. 
'vS'iiiiams,  R.,  497. 
^M   iams,  Roger,  47,  52,  82,  97. 
"V  .^'.iamstown,  199. 
■\\"i:  oughby,  Mr.  93,  94. 
■\>':aiot  Proviso,  the,  457. 
"\   ilson,    Henry,    445,    456,    459,  461, 

Mi6,  474,  476,  481,  496,  546,  564. 
■\      son,  Mr.,  36,  44. 
W   'son,  Mr.,  82. 
T\     idsor,  town  of,  49. 
■^   •  islow,   Edward,  9,  13,  19,  60,  66, 

.  »,  99. 


Winslow,  John,  126. 

Winslow,  John,  210,  216. 

Winter  Hill,  323,  341. 

Winthrop,  John,  33,  51,  55,  70,  77,  89, 

122. 
Winthrop,  R.  C,  447,  460,  4G1. 
Winthrop,  Wait,  162. 
Wise,  Henry  A.,  439. 
Witchcraft  delusion,  the,  154-173. 
Woburn,  town  of,  48.  309. 
Wolfe,  General  James,  219-224. 
Wollaston,  Captain,  23,  24. 
Wollaston,  Mount,  23,  43. 
Woodbury,  John,  28. 
Worcester,  141,  350,  368,  429. 
Wright's  tavern,  3G3. 
Writs  of  Assistance,  232-235. 
Wyman,  P.  T.,496. 

Yarmouth,  26. 

York,  Archbishop  of,  60. 

Young,  Sir  John,  28. 


THE   END. 


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